


Mångata

by DominaRava



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tithe Series - Holly Black
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aphrodisiacs, Cocky Sidon, F/M, Kelpie Sidon, Kissing, Mildly Dubious Consent, Nipple Licking, Public Sex, Rough Sex, Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-03-06 09:04:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13407921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DominaRava/pseuds/DominaRava
Summary: The legend of Kelpies has spanned the ages and struck fear into the hearts of those who tread their waters. When faced with the Kelpie, your best option is to run before they can speak- but easier said than done.





	1. Silvertongue

A loud bang pulled you from your drive while steam spewed from the car, slowed, and sputtered to a stop. You felt your chest tighten as the overwhelming darkness outside swallowed you, the only illumination coming from the dash lights. Cautiously you stepped out from your car, not before popping your hood. You flipped on the flashlight on your cell and took as good of a look inside as you could.

Obviously you couldn't figure out what was wrong with the car in pitch black and no tools, but the action made you feel like you were doing something to help. You let the hood slam shut as you turned and were greeted to the empty cimmerian shade engulfing you. The silence was deafening, any sound seeming like a commotion.

The air was cool and damp, sending a chill through you as a gust of wind whirled around you. The scent of pines and wet foliage filled your senses, a smell that once comforted now threatening you where you stood. Thankfully the lack of clouds let the moon cast a dim white light across the landscape, so seeing around wasn't totally impossible.

You checked your phone, it was 2:48AM. Maybe you could call a tow truck and wait it out, but your phone gave zero bars. Frozen. Frozen with fear as you stood there, swallowing down your anxiety. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you tried to rationalize your next move, but something caught your ear.

A river?

The sound of water rushing by seemed to almost call you over to it. You shook your head and sighed, you figured you would just follow the road until the first gas sation or you got cell service- whatever happened to come first. You took the faceplate from your radio and locked up your car, setting on down the road.

The road seemed to follow the river, as the sounds of water flowing around rocks almost cleared your head. You took in a slow deep breath, how long had you been following this road? You checked the time, it had only been fifteen minutes since you left your car, but it had felt like an hour by now.

_"Young One..."_

Your eyes widened as you stopped in your tracks, what was that? You looked around wildly, but you were only greeted with darkened silence. Again you took a breath to calm your nerves before you continued on down the road, albeit a bit faster now.

Several minutes passed before you heard it again,  _"Oh Young One~"_

It seemed to be a bit more playful this time. Once more you looked around, no one was there. The voice seemed to be coming from the direction of the river. Despite every part of common sense screaming not to, you crossed the road to be closer to the river. Gazing down the embankment you couldn't see anything, beyond the black water rushing by with grim promise.

As you were about to continue down the road, it called to you again,  _"Come on a little closer~"_

Your heart jumped and your stomach twisted, what the fuck. Your head whipped around to now see a figure floating about in the unrelenting current. Suddenly your head was spinning- how- how could someone be out there in the river? They didn't seem like they needed help?

You couldn't stop your legs as they stepped down the embankment, your shoes slipping and sliding down the moist soil. For the life of you, you couldn't figure out what was pulling you closer, but your legs wouldn't stop. All too quick you reached the water's edge, your feet slightly sinking into the oversaturated dirt.

As you came to a stop, the figure rose from the water, moving up to edge of the shore. Instinctively you took a couple steps back, tripping and falling back against the damp ground.

The figure pulled themself from the water and stood before you, towering above you. It was at this point that you realized the figure was in fact a male as he stood bare. He leaned and reached his hand down to you. The knee jerk reaction was to flinch, but he finally broke his silence to speak.

"I just want to help you up." He said quietly.

You nodded and took his hand. The sensation of his skin was unreal, cold and clammy to the touch, but after a moment of his grasp, his flesh heated and warmed to your temperature. As you got to your feet, you got a better look at him against the light of the pale moon.

Glittering golden eyes hid behind long strands of ruby red tangled with water weeds. Water seemed to endlessly drip from his skin that looked sticky to the touch. That would be proven true when you tried to let go of his hand as strands of some unknown sticky fluid connected you momentarily.

When you managed to pull your hand from his, he shot you a wicked grin. Did- did he have sharp teeth? Your nerves were starting to get the better of you as anxiety pricked your skin. It would have been a lie to say he wasn't gorgeous, but an air of ferocity hung around him that shook you to the core.

"Who- who are you?" You managed to stammer.

"That's the wrong question to ask, Young One." His eyes met yours and ensnared you.

You took a moment, "What are you?"

"That is better. I am a water spirit." He answered, still keeping a tight lock on your eyes.

"Okay- well- why were you calling me?" Fear almost rendered you unable to speak, but as the space around the two of you seemed to close around you, talking seemed the only way to stay sane.

"I had been watching you for a while, you seemed to be in distress, and I was ever so curious as to what was the matter. So tell Me- Small One- what seems to be the matter?" His tone was still playful with a hint of violence behind his words.

His sudden change in petname for you made you shiver as regret washed over you standing before this creature, "I uh- my car- my car broke down- and I was walking to find some help."

"Aren't you lucky you came across me then?"

"Why?"

His personal aura changed and twisted. You could have sworn he was draining the light from around you, as the forest that was once lit by the grace of the moon had all but vanished. He closed the space between you, bringing your hands into his. His skin smelled of petrichor and salt as he pulled you close.

Your head was flooding with a mix of pure terror and aphrodiasia, and you couldn't explain the pleasure you were beginning to feel. A smirk was pulling his features as he looked down at you.

"See, aren't you feeling better already?" His voice was like butter as your head clouded more and more.

"Wha- what's happening to me?" A light blush dusted your cheeks as you relied on him for support as your knees went a little weak.

"Why, I'm helping you Small One. Can't you see? You are more relaxed now than you were a few moments ago, are you not?" His hand caressed your cheek, leaving his sticky film behind.

You tried to shy away from his touch, but it was electric as your body tried to rid itself of the overflowing pleasure flooding it. In an attempt to get away, you pushed against his chest and planted your feet firmly into the ground for support, but he quickly snatched your arms. A scream was poised to leave your throat, but nothing came.

"Please, do not resist. It's been far too long since I've had the company of another. Let those feelings swirling around in your head come to fruition." He spoke against your lips as they trembled.

Before you could protest, his lips were against yours. Cold- so cold. The touch of his lips against yours sent chills through you, before your skin turned ablaze. As he pressed against you, a new wave of bliss pumped through your veins; an aphrodisiac produced by yours truly.

What you did next surprised even yourself, your arms moved up to circle his shoulders, deepening the kiss. His eyebrows perked up with amusement, but following suit, his arms circled around your lower back, the chill of his skin bushing the heat of yours. Water dripped all over you as you clung to him, but your skin was on fire. Even against the brisk winter air you felt the urge to pull your clothes off to relieve you of the heat burning you.

"You're getting hot- should I take care of these garments for you?" The devious tone in his voice would have normally made you turn away, but this was far from a normal situation.

You merely nodded before the brush of his frigid fingers moved over your feverish flesh, exposing you as he was. Almost immediately you felt better as the cool wind whipped around your burning body. He had stepped away from you to set your clothes on a nearby rock, but you made no attempt to flee. Instead, you craved him.

His eyes flashed to yours as he set your things down, probably to make sure you wouldn't run off, but his gaze was met with your begging eyes. Never before had you felt this way, it was like your body was in a frenzy. Rather than run off, you had moved closer to him, not wanting to be too far away. Was this the power of his aphrodisiac?

"At first you wanted nothing to do with me- but now? Oh now you can't get enough of me, right? It's ok Small One, come into me- I will take care off all that ails you." Oh how his voice made your head swim and heart sing.

He moved in and kissed you again, holding your body close against him. You could have melted into his arms. He no longer felt cold and sticky as you pressed against him, rather, he was just as hot as you were.

You pushed against his chest feebly to break the kiss, "Is something wrong?"

"Its just- I don't know your name. Do you even have one? I'm sorry- I don't know how- uh- water spirits work I guess." You tripped over your words as he looked down at you with a smile.

"You may call me Sidon." He said with a slight smile.

"S-sidon. O-okay- cool." You couldn't help the nervousness poking through the aphrodisiac.

He stepped away from you and sat on a large flat rock that was along the bank. Sidon reached his hand out to you, beckoning you to join him on his lap. Swallowing hard, you took his hand and crawled on top of him.

"This is much better, don't you think?" As he spoke and you settled yourself on his lap, his length brushed and rubbed against your legs.

Nodding hurriedly, you just wanted him to get back to touching you. The desire pumping through you was almost too much to bare. As if he was reading your mind though, he went back to placing his hands all over you.

Deftly his fingers found every place that made you squirm. He had his hand between your folds, rubbing you firmly as his other hand gripped your rump, pulling you against him as he kissed you deeply. You began to rock your hips, your breath becoming shallow.

Your hands found their way to his hair, threading with the long strands. Sidon broke the kiss between you to kiss down your neck, before finding his resting place as he kissed and sucked the crook of your neck.

"This may hurt a little, but I promise you'll like it." His voice was so smooth as he spoke, lulling you into him further.

What was going to hurt? Your eyes flicked around, but you couldn't see anything he could hurt you with- then, he opened his mouth. Hiding behind those lovely lips was a mouth of razor teeth, threatening you with imminent harm. But before you could protest or ever question him, a sharp pain spiked through you. As quickly as the pain had set in, breathtaking pleasure replaced it. You couldn't help the moan that escaped you as he sunk his teeth into you.

Carefully he pulled from you and spoke again, "How badly do you desire me, Small One."

You could feel his pulse between your legs as your natural lube was already dripping onto him, "I-I want you really bad..." You said softly, speaking against his lips.

Sidon smirked and grabbed your ass, pulling you up and over his throbbing cock. Your eyes flashed down and then back to his, your body aching with anticipation. Slowly he lowered you, rubbing the head against your dripping entrance. A small noise escaped you as he teased.

"Are you ready for me?" He asked quietly.

You nodded and blushed deeply, you couldn't believe what was even happening. As soon as he got the green light, he slowly but steadily pushed you all the way down on him. You couldn't help the cry that left your lips as he opened you wide. Moaning and panting, you gripped onto him as he continued to slowly lift you up and down on him.

You weren't alone in your bliss, as he pushed into you, groans and moans left him as well. His grip stayed under your rump, keeping your movements steady as you clung to his frame. You buried your face into his shoulder as you fell into his indulgence.

"You're so tight..." He said against your ear, his panting tickling the sensitive skin.

"Y-You're too big..." You mumbled against him.

A low chuckle bubbled from his chest as his movements quickened, which earned him a loud cry once more. As you found your rhythm, the sounds of your union made a chorus for the forest surrounding you. Gazing up at him, you pulled him in for a kiss, your hips rocking against his.

After you parted he smiled and spoke, "I've never had a human become so fond of me before," He paused as you sat on him as deep as he could go, "Even with my love poison. You must really like me."

It was as if he almost taunting you with his words, but you were so wrapped up in your bliss that you took it as a form of endearment. His hands had slipped around and were teasing your various pleasure spots, reveling in the sounds that left you. You didn't want this to end.

Sidon moved his head down and let his tongue flick over your perked nipples, taking delight in your reaction. It had been a very long time since he had had someone to keep him company, and it showed by the way he held you tight and took every chance he could to feel you all over.

His hands moved back to your hips, pushing them down and grinding you on him as far as he could. A groan echoed from him as you rocked your hips to accommodate him even further. You were close, and you had a feeling he was too.

Pulling his ear to your lips, you spoke in breathy pants, "Hah- I'm- I'm really close~"

That was all the motivation he needed before he started pounding into you as hard he could, his hand rubbing against your bud as pulled you over the edge. Your collective moans shook the forest as you clamped down around him and his seed filled you.

In your afterglow you fell against him as he leaned back to recline on the rock behind him. His arms were draped around your back as his length slipped out of you, allowing his cum to drip from you freely.

"Please don't leave..." Sidon said through his huffing.

Trying to shake the clouds from your head, you tried to respond, "What do you mean?"

You could feel his skin becoming tacky again as you lay against him, fear beginning to prick through.

"It's not like how it used to be, no one comes to my river anymore. Before, I would have travelers come by all the time, but now-" He fell silent for a moment, "But now I have you to occupy my time." There was possession in his words as he began to play with your hair.

"I- I can't do that." You said, taking his hand from your hair slowly, "I have to go back-" The fog of your mind began to dissipate with the peak of morning sun, "I- my car- oh shit-"

His once adoring eyes shifted to a grimace as you spoke. You moved your arms to try and push yourself off of him, but his skin had turned back to a tacky trap that held your arms in place. Panic crept down your spine as his arms slid around your back and held you tightly against him.

A tangle of his aphrodisiac and your clarity began to fight harder than ever, "What- what if I promise to come back?!"

"How can I trust you'll come back once I let you go?" He kept your eyes locked in his golden stare.

"Because," You took a deep breath, "I had a good time- with you- tonight." You felt your words getting caught on your tongue as tried to wave away your fear.

"Your pleasure is fleeting. I need a real promise," He reached to his hair and pulled a strand of his cascading rouge locks, taking the piece and wrapping it around your neck and tying it in place, "You have a month to keep your promise to me."

The question waiting to be asked sat in your throat, "What will happen if I don't come back?"

Sidon had hell in his eyes, "If you do not come back to me in a month's time- I pray that doesn't happen."

The threat he promised made you sick to your stomach, but he released you. You stumbled back, both from your stomach twisting and residual from him pounding into you moments before. Sidon sat up and watched you shuffle around, trying to get your clothes on. His eye watching you made goose bumps tickle your skin.

As you finished getting yourself together, you turned to him, "A month?"

"I was kind and gave you thirty-one days." He said, the playful tone returning to him as he got up from the rock.

You walked up to him where he now stood, placing your hands on either side of his face and pulling him down for a light kiss, "I will come back." You said against his lips.

"I will eagerly await your return."

You stepped away from him before you slowly took off back up to the main road. Your heart was pounding and your legs were weak, as you climbed up the soft dirt. The fear that had once gripped you had begun to fade.

The solid feel of asphalt under your feet almost made you fall to your knees in relief. By now the sun was making it's way into the morning sky and the sweet smell of dew drifted around you. You reached into your pocket to grab your phone, it was 6:02AM. You had bars on your phone again? You were roughly in the same place as you were the last time you had checked?

Even so, you began to head back to your car, the tow company on the line. Walking back, you stayed on the river side of the street, keeping an eye on the water ever so often. You could have sworn you saw his head peaking from the surface, but you could only guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Links **
> 
> [☆ Chapter Playlist ☆](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9fMC0TUn9C3ZjwYVg8zasLzpZiE192vp)
> 
> [♤ Blog ♤](https://dominarava.tumblr.com)


	2. Collar Full

Your limbs were heavy with fatigue as you ascended the stairs to your bedroom. Your head was still trying to process what had happened only a couple hours before. Not being able to find it in you to shower, you fell right into the comfort of your bed, quickly passing out.

The dreams that filled your head as you slept were nothing too far from the ordinary, but you could have sworn you saw him- hiding in the background. When your eyes finally flickered open the afternoon sun was high in the sky and your head was still drowsy, but nowhere near the exhaustion from before.

Once you had gotten through your morning routine, you sat on your bed and opened your laptop. Maybe looking up water spirits would help give you some understanding as to what happened last night, but most of you was hoping it hadn't happened.

_Search: water spirits_

The pages pulled up in front ranged from  _Wikipedia_  pages on them to other personal encounters from other people. You clicked the _Wiki_ page and were greeted to several drop downs for water spirits from all cultures. You sighed, you had no idea what culture he from- not even a clue. You went back to the search bar.

_Search:_

You tried to remember some defining features about him. Those striking eyes, his tangling red hair, and his constant wet body were the first things. The thought of him made your cheeks burn a little, but then you remembered, he was sticky like a damn glue trap when you tried to leave.

_Seach: sticky water spirit_

The first result was a page for the Kelpie. The name seemed familiar, but you clicked through and let your eyes scan over the first few paragraphs.

_"Kelpie, or water kelpie, is the Scots name given to a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs and pools of Scotland. It has usually been described as appearing as a horse, but is able to adopt human form. ... but narratives about the kelpie also served a practical purpose in keeping children away from dangerous stretches of water, and warning young women to be wary of handsome strangers."_

You huffed, "Yeah I wish someone woulda warned me."

_"The creature's nature was described by Walter Gregor, a folklorist and one of the first members of the Folklore Society, as "useful", "hurtful", or seeking "human companionship"; in some cases, kelpies take their victims into the water, devour them, and throw the entrails to the water's edge."_

Your heart began to race- if things had gone a bit different- would he have killed you? You continued to read down the page to the folk stories of Kelpies trapping children with their sticky skin and dragging them to the watery depths, only to be saved by cutting off their own limbs. Your stomach clenched and you ran to the bathroom.

Whatever was in your stomach was expelled into the toilet as your body retched. You clung to the bowl as your legs shook. Terror, guilt, and mild relief suffocated you as you sat there for a moment, coming to the realization that you had barely walked away with your life and all your limbs.

You stood up and wet a washcloth, wiping your mouth before grabbing a glass to rinse your mouth. Looking in the mirror your face was pale and glistened with a sheen of sweat.

The hair.

Upon quick examination you couldn't see what should have been a bright red hair around your neck, but there was nothing. For a moment relief flooded you, but you ran your nail down your neck, feeling for the hair.

And there it was, resting around your collar bone. Your finger caught it and pulled it up a little, now showing the almost glowing strand. Shit. It did happen. Your heart jumped and pulsed hard in your chest once more.

"Since it's just a hair, it should break, right?" You asked the silence of your bathroom.

You tugged on it, it didn't budge. You pulled harder and it still didn't break. Moving your finger around the hair, you tried to find the knot that he had tied, but it was like it didn't exist? You snatched a pair of scissors sitting on the counter and immediately tried to cut it off, but as the blades hit the strand, they stopped dead in their tracks.

The blood pumping through you went cold. Again you repeatedly tried to close the scissors, but you would sooner break them before you could cut it. Defeated and terrified, you walked back into your room.

He could have killed you. He 100% could have and would have killed you. But he didn't. You paused on that. He didn't kill you. 

_Why?_

You pushed down your shaken worry and went back to reading about his kind. The part about companionship interested you; there was an entry about a lonely Kelpie that had turned himself into a young man to marry a girl he had fallen for, only for the girl to enslave him on her father's farm for a year until she decided she wanted to marry him. You snorted, that was kinda fucked up, even if he was a Kelpie.

More and more stories of Kelpies being tricked and trapped by humans for enslavement seemed to be a trend. Then your eyes flashed over a heading, Capture and Killing. You followed down the rabbit hole as you read about his possible weaknesses. Iron and silver seemed to be your best bet, but you didn't really have a lot of silver or iron?

You laid against the wall, what the hell were you gonna do? Maybe on your next check you would pick up some weapons? But you weren't even sure if he intended to hurt you, beyond the hair around your neck. The story of the lonley Kelpie floated around your head, maybe that's all he really did want.

\--

A couple weeks went by and you found yourself opening a small box from  _Amazon_. You pulled out a spool of thin gauge iron wire, the dull sheen on the metal made it smooth to the touch. You really didn't want to hurt him, but you had to protect yourself.

You had decided to thread the wire through the hems and seams of your clothes and make jewelry to match. The goal wasn't to hurt him, but if he tried to touch you again, he wouldn't get far- at least not without better consent this time. The brief thought of being on his lap again made your heart pang and your bits ache a little.

He was right about one thing, you really did like him.

You crafted yourself a couple of, albeit kinda shitty, iron woven rings and bracelets. Through the seams of your clothing, you had painstakingly thread the wire, hoping it would be enough. The pièce de résistance was your forged iron choker that you decided to splurge a little on. It was bizarre that you were using jewelry as weapons, but it was better than nothing you supposed.

That left you with your next move, to go and see him once more. Even after you had gathered all this iron to help protect you, you heavily considered never returning. You felt that going back was a death wish, but what would happen if you didn't return in his allotted thirty-one days?

Since your first day of reading up on the Kelpie, you had continued to read up on everything relating to the Kelpie and fae alike. As you went through the stories and artifacts, you increasingly realized how lucky you had been to escape with your freedom mostly intact.

Something else nagged at the back of your mind, it was almost an hour and a half drive from your home to that of Kelpie, and the waste of gas for something so seemingly silly was almost painful. You had hoped that night was just a fever dream, but ghosting whispers of his touch made your body ache for him.

You were ready, but were you really?

\--

You parked your car in a pullout on the side of the road, a mile or so from where you had met him. Decked out on iron, you jumped out and began heading down the road. Anxiety crept through you as the sight and sounds of crushing river below called to you once more.

The sun was still rather high in its decsension to the horizon as you neared the spot. You spotted the large gather of rocks he had taken you on and you began to climb down the embankment, again your shoes slipping from the oversaturated forest floor.

Once you reached the water's edge, you stood there in silence, nerves making you second guess everything. How were supposed to let him know you're here? Would he just know?

You waited quietly for a few more minutes, nothing. You bit your lip and took in a slow breath, you were going to have to call him. How crazy you thought this was, yelling a Kelpie's name into the forest.

"Sidon!" You called.

But nothing.

"Sidon! I came back! Like I promised!" You tried again, but it yielded the same response.

A huff left you, were you crazy? Had it all been a super vivid hallucination? Or was he just messing with you? Part of you hoped it was the latter, or else those psych bills were gonna get expensive.

You sighed and sat on the rock you had spent the night on with him, and waited. Silently you watched the sun fall and set into the horizon amongst the backdrop of tall pines and boundless ranges. You laid back on the rock, looking up at the changing sky.

You kind of almost missed him. The thought of him holding you like he did that night made your cheeks burn and your hands fidget nervously with the iron around your wrist. Was it too cruel to be covered in iron? You weren't even really sure if all this hardware would work, but if it did, you didn't necessarily want him to die.

Stars began to litter the sky as the sun disappeared, no moon to take away from their brilliance. Your heart started to clench, maybe he wasn't real. You took a deep breath and curled up in your thick poncho, the evening winter air biting you. Just as you starting to convince yourself to leave, the world around you seemed to go quiet, the rushing water silenced.

_"What a clever girl you are- your scent is horrid."_

The voice rang in your head before you whipped around. Just below the surface of the water, you saw a glimmer of red rushing by. Sidon burst from the water, landing himself on the rock in front of you. Something about him this time was a lot more hostile as he sat there with wild eyes and a sneer.

"You came back!" You felt the words fall from your mouth.

"I should be the one saying that- instead, I am dismayed with your choice to adorn yourself in iron. It seems like you've done some research since our last meeting." His tone was hard as he spoke, clearly pissed off he couldn't easily handle you.

You took a slow draw of air, "Yeah, I have. You're a Kelpie, but I guess I don't need to tell you that." You paused, "Do you really drown people?"

You could tell he didn't want to answer that, "The lives of mortals are fleeting and roughly meaningless because they reproduce like rodents. Tell me- are you just another rat like the rest of them?"

Was that hurt in his voice? Everything you had learned about Kelpies, nothing said anything about them being totally capable of remorse- let alone the complicated tangle of emotions that love tends to bring. Maybe the lore had been wrong- maybe no one was ever able to get close enough to find out. Well beyond that one story of the lonley Kelpie.

"I didn't come here to hurt you, or make you my slave, or any of that bullshit. I wanted to come see you- I wanted to come see you because I wanted to know more about you. And while I had fun last time, I don't trust you to not take advantage of me again." You explained calmly to the stormy redhead.

Sidon huffed, "Is that so?"

A small smile graced your lips, "Yeah, if you noticed, it's just my clothes and jewelry. So- I mean-" Your face got hot before you finished speaking, making a smirk play over Sidon's features, "If we did want to- fool around again or something, I can have full control in removing my clothes. I was naive last time, you could have killed me if you got the urge-"

He cut you off, "I did not, and I have no intention on doing so. I told you that I merely wanted your company."

"Mmm, you said that last time and the next thing I know, I'm naked in the middle of night in the dead of winter fucking fae-folk. So- forgive me if I'm a little wary."

Finally a light chuckle and a smile had him lighten up a touch.

You stuck your hand in your pocket to pull out a large cloth pouch, "This, is the 'Iron Bag'- the better the night goes, the more iron comes off- and if you're being an ass I'm gonna put it back on. Got it?"

He snorted, "Understood- but what if I want to hug you?"

Oh. Damn. He was right. If he intended on hugging you to any degree, he would get hurt, and right now you wouldn't mind a hug from him.

"I guess you will have to be extra good then huh?" You teased.

"This is mildly unfair, don't you think?"

Your expression went flat, "No, what was mildly unfair was how you used your stupid fae magic to make me sleep with you."

His face reflected the thought running through his head, _fair enough_. You shifted a little, what now? Maybe you should try finding out more about him?

"So- about iron- what does it actually do to you?" You asked gently.

He really didn't seem excited about talking to you about this, but began to explain, "I can't tell you why it happens, but when our skin comes into contact with iron, it begins to burn. As it would if you left your hand in a fire. Would you like to see?"

The curiosity of him of course made you want to know, but, "Will you be ok? I mean- it's not going to kill you is it?"

His eyebrow raised with a the same smirk, "I do enjoy your company, but I do not wish to die for you yet. Let me see your ring."

Obediently you slipped one of the rings off your fingers and held it out in your palm. The cool brush of his fingers against the heat of your hand made you blush a little, but almost instantly you could see the damage being done.

As Sidon picked up the ring from your palm, you could hear the sizzle and pop of his skin. He dropped the metal into his hand and you watched in silent horror as the ring began to make his skin blister and burn, making the air around you turn foul. It was only getting worse the longer it stayed, his face twisting in pain, but you had enough.

You quickly grabbed the ring from his hand, "Ok- I get it."

He sat back, smirk ever present, "Cannot stand to see me hurt so?"

You couldn't find it in you to answer his teasing.

"So you do not wish to see me in pain, but you cover yourself in the one thing on this earth that can cause me any real harm. What fickle creatures humans are." He shot with a smirk. 

"Its not that- I'm sure you can imagine what I read about your kind. What was I supposed to do? Trust you to not drown me?" You shot back.

"I didn't the first time."

"True, but I've learned to not take things for granted- plus-" The words sat on your tongue for a moment, "Everyone gets tired of me anyway- I've just never had it lead to a deadly outcome. Something I would like to keep a record on."

"May I have a kiss?" He asked out of the blue.

Your cheeks were dusted in a light red from his request, "That's awfully forward of you."

"Since I cannot hold you, I figured that would be an easier form of affection, seeing as how our bodies are already fairly well acquainted with one another." He said with slight grin.

What a little shit- but you did want to kiss him again and then some. Sighing quietly, you nodded. You scooted up closer to him, the scent of your iron stinging his nose. His hand caressed your cheek lightly before putting his hand under your chin, tilting your face up to have a better look.

"You're so beautiful..." He spoke against your lips before kissing him gently.

The feel of his chilled lips against yours made goosebumps rise on your skin. He winced from the iron, but didn't break his lock on you. There was a tingle on your lips as you parted, before a light high washed over you. He had tried to slip you more of his aphrodisiac.

You smiled and wiped your lips, "You said that I was the one who really liked you, but I think it's the other way around- Kelpie."

Despite the wipe of your lips, the drug was well within you, pumping through your veins like molasses. It made you feel way too good, you wanted more but held yourself back.

"I fear you might be right." He said leaning forward to kiss your cheek, leaving the same tingling sensation.

The two of you laughed a little, the mood finally starting to feel relaxed. You moved to sit a little closer to him, you could see his nose twitch. He glanced down at you with a smile, his red tangles framing his face with water weeds still.

You reached up a plucked a weed from his hair, "So- maybe it's time for the elephant in the river?"

"Hmn?"

"What is up with the hair you tied around my neck?" Anxiety crawled over you in the moments of silence for his answer.

"Its my insurance that you will keep your promise." He said flatly.

"But- I came back, right? So maybe you could take it off?" You pressed.

His eyebrow crooked, "No."

His answer set you back, "Why not?"

"Would you give back a gift that someone had made for you with all the love in their heart?" Sidon questioned.

"This is supposed to be a gift?" You asked incredulously.

"It is. It's a very rare gift to be given The Sight by another fae." His tone was very matter-of-fact as his eyes seemed to pierce you.

"What do mean by that? What's The Sight?" It was hard to think through the effects of even the little bit of aphrodisiac he managed to slip you.

Sidon took in a slow breath, "I'm surprised you hadn't noticed- seeing your astute nature. Look over there."

As he spoke his hand moved to gesture across the river, deeper into the forest. At first you didn't see anything, but soon dim lights came into view. Then willowy figures seemed to be floating in succession, all holding their own globes of light. You gasped, they were elves!

Leaning forward you tried to make out their features, but a large throne quickly took your attention. Upon it sat a endlessly beautiful elven girl, her long hair woven from gold glittered from the faint lights. She wasn't alone though, as draped over her lap was the head and arms of an elven boy. He looked just like her! Her hand was gently petting his head as he slept, the boy seemingly unaware or uncaring of their movement.

Quick as a flash her head whipped it look in your direction, forcing you to jump. You were startled as her crystal eyes reached across the forest and grabbed hold of you. Fearing the worst your heart raced, but she only smiled warmly and turned her attention to the slumbering boy on her lap.

You watched in silence as they slowly disappeared into the depths of the foliage. Turning back to look at Sidon, his gaze was still trained on the woods. The red hair was a gift, you could see the fae- but at what cost.

"Ok, so- what now?" You asked, looking into his shining eyes.

"Whatever you like, Small One." Sidon's gaze turned down to you, making you feel dwarfed.

"Can we- take it slow?"

"Take it slow?" The puzzlement on his face made you giggle.

"Yeah, like, instead of you kinda forcing yourself on me with all those aphrodisiacs- we can talk and get to know each other?" A smile was poised on your lips, trying to bring down his defenses.

"I suppose that would be alright." He said slowly.

You laughed and nodded, "Ok, good. So- I guess tell me about yourself?"

Sidon took in a large gulp of air before going on to tell you all about him. He was old- really old. He spoke of his misdeeds and losses, his flings and pride. Listening to him talk made you relax, finally feeling at ease around the beast who kept your time.

The night passed on, with the two of you trading your life stories. He was amused by your little hobbies and interested while you sat in awe listening to stories of his battles with creatures of all kinds. Every so often you would kiss, before you removed all the iron from one of your hands to hold his.

As the sun began to rise, the guilt of leaving him started to weigh on you. But when the time came, you picked yourself up, and carried yourself back to your car, completely worn out from the talks of the night. The sound of your car kicking over was almost therapeutic as the cool air pulled at you.

You already missed him, but you knew you would be back- sooner rather than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Links**
> 
> [☆ Chapter Playlist ☆](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9fMC0TUn9C3ZjwYVg8zasLzpZiE192vp)
> 
> [♤ Blog ♤](https://dominarava.tumblr.com)


	3. Knee Socks

As time went on, you continued to visit Sidon once a month. This, by now, had been going on for four months, each time you brought something new to make the time a little easier. A blanket, some snacks, and even random trinkets and things to show him. One of his favorite things was when you played music for him off your phone, curious about it all worked, mildly wondering if humans had a better handle on magic than he thought.

Things still weren't too physical between the two of you since that night, not that he hadn't tried. The more time you spent together, the more comfortable you felt. You had even considered maybe revisiting the events of that first night with him on your next trip up, just the thought burned your cheeks.

Even more so because you knew he had a special gift for you the next time you came around, something only fae could their hands on. The idea excited and mildly concerned you, over the months you had done more research on the fae in your down time, much to the dismay of your friends. Every so often you would be invited out on your days off, seeing as only one day coincided with their schedules, but you brushed them off to go see Sidon every time. You didn't mean to be rude, but the toll of staying up for a full night was too much on top hanging out with friends.

A bag had been packed for the night, with things like said blanket and some leftovers from dinner. Your heart fluttered with excitement as you climbed down the side of the road to the water, the water now a familiar friend than the daunting threat it was before. Tonight you had chosen to wear less iron, the only pieces on being the rings on your fingers, something he noticed almost immediatly as he climbed out of the water and onto a rock.

"You look ravishing this evening, Small One." He didn't use that petname much any more, but when he did it made your face hot.

Normally you would brush him off with a chuckle and smile, but you lead into him tonight, "Is that so? Maybe you'll get to enjoy me up close then, hmn?"

Your answer almost made his head spin as it seemed you were finally starting to let him in. As he came out of the water, his hand captured you, closing him around your frame as your clothes got damp from his touch. You nuzzled your face into his chest and took a deep breath, he was like home.

When you pulled away, you quickly dove into your bag to lay out the blanket on the usual rock. He followed and sat across from you, his eyes laying heavy on you, as if knowing where he was going to take the night.

"Oh! I brought some stuff this time, to help with your hair." You chirped as you began to rummage back through your bag, plucking a comb and a hair tie.

"My hair? What's wrong with it?" Sidon asked, pulling a strand lightly.

You rose an eyebrow, "It's a mess. Lemme just clean it up for you."

You didn't really give him a chance to protest as you shimmied over on your knees, placing a folded up sweater under them. Honestly you weren't sure where to start, but you began picking the water weeds from his hair. Each time your hands went in to detangle, you could see his nose twitch from the iron gracing your fingers.

For a moment you considered the negative ramifications of taking them off, but knew you had to trust him sometime. You reached into your pocket and pulled out the iron bag, removing your rings and tossing them inside.

Sidon gave you a side glance with a slight smirk, "Thank you."

Once you had cleared the weeds from his hair, you began combing it, using a simple detangler to help. The smell of artificial green apple floated around as you pulled his hair back into a messy bun, at least leaving him somewhat better off. But as you pulled his hair up, you noticed the brilliant white strands he had been hiding this whole time.

You spoke as you finished up, "So what was that thing you were gonna give me- the special faery stuff or whatever."

"Ah yes, I'm glad you hadn't forgotten." He said before slipping off the rock and down into the black rushing water.

When he breached the water again, he had a silk scarf in his hand that was holding something inside. Sidon went back to his sitting spot and opened the bag, allowing the contents to roll onto the blanket. 

What the hell was it?

A bright white fruit tumbled onto the plush fabric, leaving you puzzled, "What are those?"

"Fruit of the Fae." He said calmly.

Your blood ran cold. Of all the things you had read about the fae, it was, for the love of god, to not eat any thing they give you. You had learned the fae used their food to lure and trap humans in a hypnotic state- forever. The life of a human after that was either doomed to be the pampered pet or torture sex victim of the fae- depending on what court caught you. But hey, at least you got to live forever, right?

"I can see your hesitation. Would I be correct to assume that you know about these as well?"

You didn't know how to answer, tell the truth and ruin the moment- or don't tell him you know and deal with what comes?

"I thought you weren't gonna try and use stuff like this any more on me-" You started.

He cut you off, "I never agreed to that, I agreed to taking it slow."

"Yeah, but- I don't know what that is, but I know I shouldn't take food from the fae." Your voice was laced with concern.

He shrugged, "Suit yourself- but by this point, I would have hoped you would have given me a little more credit." Sidon said, before picking up the fruit and taking a large bite.

Silently you watched as deep purple juice gushed from the fruit and down his chin, a lovely contrast to the pale skin. Your gaze flicked down to the fruit. Maybe you could trust him, he was eating it too? You knew it didn't affect them like it would you, but the curiosity was almost too much.

You leaned forward and grabbed a fruit. The flesh was firm to the touch, almost as if it could just barely contain the juice inside. Despite coming out of the cold river though, they felt warm, almost body temperature in your hand. Bringing the fruit to your nose to smell it, a sweet concoction of orange and roses filled your senses. You swallowed hard as your heart jumped with excitement.

Sidon had reclined onto a rock and watched you with a playful expression as he watched you try to decide if you wanted a bite. He knew you really didn't have much choice in the matter in first place, as the fruit draws in any human consumer, impossible to resist. His eyes widened as you opened your mouth and took a large chomp into it.

Warm- you felt warm all over, a wave of comfort taking you away. The world around you got fuzzy, turning to a soft glow. You haphazardly wiped the dripping juice from your jaw, blinking a few times to focus your eyes. The feeling that washed over you was indescribable- somewhere between safe nostalgia and pure love mixed in your head.

"This is... different." You said slowly.

Sidon chuckled and shifted about to get more comfortable. You ran your hand over the blanket, it was so much softer than you remembered. Your body sank down fully to the fabric, your senses becoming heightened and dulled in fluxing waves. Suddenly the scent of the forest felt new and fresh, bringing you to the memory of the first time in the woods, and the giddy excitement that overwhelmed you.

Giggling like a child you looked at Sidon with dilated eyes, "I've never felt this good in my entire life~"

"This is why the fae use it on humans. They will feed you only their food until you can't live without it- that's why the ones that do escape their captors- go mad." He shared smoothly.

Panic would have been flooding you normally, but now you just laughed, "That's terrible! Why did you give this to me?!"

Sidon gave another light laugh, "That's only if you continue to eat it. Of which, you won't have the option because they are hard to come by, they are usually only in the hands of royals." He paused, "As to why I gave them to you- I just wanted to see you unwind a bit. Our first night together was so much fun, I had to see that side of you again."

In the back of your mind you knew he was referring to how you acted on his aphrodisiac, "Go on Love, take another bite."

You didn't want to, but you felt your hand bring the fruit to your lips once more. The explsion of flavors on your tongue ranged from the sweetness of a ripe peach, to the tartness of a pomegranate. Eagerly you licked your lips of the juice and wiping your chin with the back of your hand, giving it only a moment of thought before you licked the residual.

Sidon laughed a bit harder this time as you followed his request like an obedient dog. That's when it dawned on you. The fruit made the human victim much more open to suggestion- potentially making them a fantastic party favor for the elites of the fae. With that bite came another wave of comfort and safety drowning you in euphoria.

"Tell me about your day before you got here." Usually this was an endearing phrase, but you knew he had to be testing the waters.

"Well, it was kind of boring. I got up, showered, did a little laundry, and touched myself to the thought of you." You wanted to hold the words that fell from your mouth, but they spilled all over- a scream begging to leave you.

That piqued him as he smirked and leaned on his fist, "And how often do you think of me- Small One."

It was like two sides of yourself were fighting with each other, the one half high on fae fruit, and the other still intact common sense, "Almost anytime I have a moment to myself to think."

A low snicker left him, "Wonderful~ And how often do you touch yourself when you think of me?"

Butterflies fluttered relentlessly in your stomach as you couldn't hold a single word back, "Not all the time, but sometimes- I can't get that night out of my head." You paused and swayed a little, "Holy shit, why can't I shut up?!"

Inside your head you were screaming as you let all your personal secrets float in the air. Your hands shook as you tried to fight the feeling of the devilish peach when Sidon's voice cut through your head.

"You always fight so hard. Do not try and force this away, just relax yourself and let it happen. I promise I won't lay a hand on you that you don't want."

His promise made you feel a little more comfortable, maybe too comfortable as you slowly moved closer to him. You soon found yourself straddling his leg as his arm circled around your back. His scent was intoxicating tonight, unsure if it was him or the fruit, he smelled wonderfully of currant and patchouli. Your eyes were still dilated as ever as you looked into his golden pools.

Even the feel of your clothing was too much as every movent felt like silk on the skin. You surprised as you let your hips grind slowly against his thigh, huffing softly.

Sidon ran his fingers through your hair, "Did you miss being this close, Love?"

His words were sweet as syrup as he spoke against your lips, your body completely overtaken with the overwhelming warmth. He knew he could get you to do anything at this point, you were like dough in his arms.

"I'm so flattered you trust me enough for all this," He paused to kiss you gently, "To remove your iron and come to me in such a way, truly I'm honored."

His hands moved to cup your face before kissing you again, this time deepening the embrace. Your hips rocked against his leg harder, begging for him. Still, he made no move to free you of your clothing. Your body ached for him so badly, you couldn't believe he had you like this again.

"Tell me how much you care for me, Small One." His lips brushed against your neck as he roughly kissed the sensitive flesh.

A gasp left you from the sweet feeling before you answered, "I- I care about you so much Sidon- I think I lo-" You were going to finish that thought but he placed a finger to your lips.

"Shh, don't say those words yet. Wait until you know for sure." He spoke against your lips, the feeling making your head swirl.

You nodded and sighed lightly. He spent the next several minutes kissing and touching you all over through your clothes. Still your head was wrapped in sweet bliss as he felt you, your body aching for his touch.

He pressed his lips against your ear, "Tell me, how well do you trust me?"

The question was so simple, but in your haze it was like an atom bomb in your head. How well did you trust him? Well enough not to kill you. And well enough to let him touch you so easily. An impossible feeling came over you that most may have called pure affection.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek gently, "With my life."

"Good..." Sidon replied, his hands slipping under your clothes, his cool hands shocking your hot flesh.

Letting his hands feel every curve, you relished in the feeling. You had never felt so safe than you did being handled in his grasp, this creature that you had only really seen a handful of times had your complete trust. The feeling of letting him move about you as he pleased made the whole moment more erotic for you before you pulled him in for another kiss.

When you broke from one another his voice filled your head once more, "What do you desire? Tell me and I will give you everything and more- just say it." His tone was almost desperate.

"I want-" You hesitated, something you read came shooting through your clouds, "I wanna see your true form... what you look like when you're a real Kelpie."

Sidon stopped dead in his tracks, "I'm not going to do that." He said flatly.

"Come on~" You pressed, the fruit making you a little bold, "You asked what I desired. I want to see you as you normally are."

He quietly deliberated the options in his head, "If I show you- do you promise you trust me? My natural state isn't like what you've read in stories, I can assure you."

Of course wanting to see, you nodded and watched him curiously. He seemed defeated as he sighed and stepped up to the water's edge. That was a lot easier than you expected. You watched as he took a step off and dropped right into the destructive current.

For a long moment he stayed under, as you waited in pained dead air. Then something caught your eye. A large red mass was rising up to the surface, surprised, you leaned in closer to get a better look. Much to your amazement, a big red fin popped from the surface, then a bigger full shark body.

Confusion was swept away as those two glittering eyes breached the water to meet yours. The rest of him came up out of the water, his form now completely different.

The first thing you noticed was his size, he was twice as big as he had been before, if not three times! The contrast of his stark white belly to the bright cherry red skin framing it made you blink in awe. Fins of blue and yellow jutted from behind and beneath his elbows and knees, while his mouth of sharp teeth multiplied and threatened you more than the former ever could.

Your cunt throbbed hard as you took a deep breath. You couldn't describe how or why you seemed to want him more, but here you were. Part of you wanted to feel even better as your hand mindlessly reached for the fae fruit again. The sweet juice filling your mouth made you crave him more.

"Maybe this is how I should have come to you in the first place?" He said, teasing as he closed the distance between you.

Your hands reached out for him before he picked you up in his arms, "Maybe I should give you the fruit all the time as well- you are so adorable like this. To see me like this and desire me more- you are a naughty little thing."

Sidon's hands held your ass firmly as he held you up to face level, "Do you truly find me appealing like this?"

You nodded furiously, "Of course! I'll be honest this is- _a lot_. But I want you so bad I don't care how you look." Your lips were trembling with anticipation.

He knew this was all the work of the fruit. Fae give this to their pets to make docile- easier to manage. Most humans aren't accustomed to seeing the various monstrous forms of the fae and staying level, letting alone consenting to sex with said creatures. The fruit- just seemed to make it all easier.

"I ask again, do you trust me?" His hand was under your chin, holding your face a hair away.

"Y-yeah... I trust you Sidon.",

That was all he needed before he laid you down on the rock, swiftly removing your pants, tossing them aside to be dry. The whole time he ripped your bottoms from you, giggles bubbled from you with giddy excitement.

He took you back into his grasp, his arms under your legs as he held you at face level again, "You ready?" He asked gently before nuzzling his face against your cheek.

Unable to stifle the fae giggles, you nodded, eager for his touch, "Then up you go." He said before lifting you high up.

Your legs were up at his shoulders before he spoke up, "Don't be shy now~ Wrap your legs around- and grab this for some extra support." He guestured to his dorsal fin as your thighs swallowed him.

The next thing you felt made shivers run down your body. His wide flat tongue slowly and firmly ran up your bits from top to bottom, hands tightly holding your ass. A breathy moan left you as he continued to lick and tease every part of you below, savoring the taste of you. Your legs trembled a little as he took special attention to your clit, making you shudder and gasp, gripping his fin helplessly. A tingling sensation started to spread wherever his tongue touched, suddenly realizing it was more of his personal love potion.

You were a moaning mess in his hands as he prodded you with his tongue. A low growl left the back of his throat, the vibration forcing a groan from you. His movements changed and he was quickly flicking his tongue up and down you. Your legs shook and your head was overwhelmed with heat. What happened next made you glad Sidon wasn't affected by the fae fruit, as your legs went weak, and faltered, allowing him to take hold of you completely.

"Careful Love. Wouldn't want you getting hurt now." Sidon said muffled through your thighs.

You knew if he kept it up, you would be spent in no time, "I'm gonna cum!" You gasped as your legs trembled.

"Can I bite you? He asked in a rough voice against your sensitive bits.

Can he bite you? You were high as hell and couldn't even begin to wonder how bad it was going to hurt. Being so in the moment, you wouldn't fight him too much as long as that juice pumped through you.

"Y-yes."

His jaw opened around your thigh, your heart skipping a beat as you glanced down and saw the glimmer of his teeth. Ecstasy- that was the only thing your mind could pull as Sidon sunk his maw into you. A loud cry that shifted into a moan filled the air as you orgasmed.

Sidon quickly laid you back down once his mouth released you. Blood was all over his face, dripping down onto his chest. You could see he was fiddling with sort of paste, but you were a million miles away in bliss. The warm flooding liquid spilling from your leg felt just as good as his tongue once did.

This is where the fruit really shined. In the darker courts, human pets were more of torture toys. The fruit would make any sort of physical harm induced feel orgasmic, thus allowing the rough fun to continue- as long as the injury wasn't immediately life threatening.

"Just a moment, try not to move." He said as he held your leg, blood pouring down the rock.

A cool feeling swallowed your thigh as he smeared a bright blue paste over the extensive wound. You sat up on your elbows to see what was going on, greeted to the horror show that was your leg. The paste he put on you had a light glow, his hand holding your leg firmly in place to hinder any movement from you.

"What is that stuff?" You asked through the colors and lights fogging your mind.

"It's a healing salve. A gift from another water spirit. How are you feeling?"

"I feel amazing..."

The mixture on your leg instantaneously hardened, leaving you in a slight panic. Once it had fully hardened, Sidon went and picked it off in large chunks. As the pieces of the now terracotta like material fell from your thigh, revealing all the wounds that had once been there to be completely healed.

"If applied to wounds soon enough- this could stop death." He said calmly as the last bits of it came free, "You have to leave soon, you should eat the food you brought. It will get rid of the effects of the fruit and make me feel a touch better about your leaving."

You scooted over on the rock and got into your bag, cracking open the leftovers and digging in. He was right, not too long after the first bites of food your head began to clear, finally having your wits about you again. Being over the moon on fae fruit all night had left your body tired, but not as fatigued as you thought.

With clarity on your side now, you took a good look at Sidon. Even without the clouds of the fruit, you still found yourself getting hot thinking about him. The sight of him was something your mind had trouble wrapping around, sitting in awe of his size. You watched as he put the salve and fruit away, possibly for another time?

"Is there something wrong? How are you feeling?" He asked as your eyes bored into him.

You took a slow breath, "Yeah- I'm actually feeling better, I can think a lot easier." A chuckle escaped you.

A light smile graced his lips, "That's good. I'm sure you will be more than ready for next time then."

" _Next time!?_ " You yelled into the deathly silence of the night, as he laughed and he took you back into his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Links **
> 
> [☆ Chapter Playlist ☆](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9fMC0TUn9C3ZjwYVg8zasLzpZiE192vp)
> 
> [♤ Blog ♤](https://dominarava.tumblr.com)


	4. Spiderhead

"You need a haircut- bad."

Your best friend said this as she ran her fingers lightly through your hair. She was probably the best hairdresser you knew, but it didn't stop you from shying away from her unwarranted touch. Something you could never hide from her was the state you would let your hair fall into, but she was also the only one you let cut your hair.

"Come on- there's splits everywhere! Lemme just give you a trim." There was a playful grin gracing her features as she mildly insulted you.

"Alright, fine. Just clean up the ends and take a little off the back." You relented as you got up to move to her kitchen.

This was honestly Sidon's idea. When you told him you had been kinda pushing off your friends to come see him, he wasn't too thrilled.

_'I know you are quite fond of me, but you should see your friends too, I will always be here.'_

His words echoed through your head, letting a light blush cover your cheeks. You let your mind wander on about him as your friend got her supplies. The image of his real kelpie side left your head in a haze- you wished you hadn't spent your last visit high on fruit.

"So what have you been up to? I haven't seen you in a hot minute."

Sidon was still on your mind, "You know, just work and commissions. I feel bad that we haven't chilled recently."

The two of you continued to share what you had been doing as she put the black gown over you. Ever since you showed up it seemed like there was something on her mind, like she was holding back. It was wasn't usually like her to hold stuff in that was bugging her, but something about her was generally off today.

She had a small mirror sitting in front of you on the table, leaving you a small window to watch her hands move about your head. For a short while you spaced out in the mirror and for a moment, you could have sworn her skin was a shimmering light blue; was she wearing a new highlighter? The sound of her antique scissors shearing off your hair tickled your ear as she went past it.

"You smell nice, you get a new spray?" She asked coolly.

"No, but you might be smelling my new body wash, it's citrus~" You said back with a smile.

Your eyes watched as she snorted, what was that about? She turned to grab a warm washcloth to wipe your neck when she finished, while your eyes stayed on her. In the split second before her eyes left the frame of the mirror, her entire eye went pitch black. You whipped around in your chair to look at them without the mirror's influence, but they were fine.

"What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost?" You're friend asked, now slightly alarmed herself.

You sighed and relaxed back into your seat, "Uh- I don't know. I guess I need more sleep? But I swear to god I thought you had like- demon eyes or some shit when I saw you in the mirror just now."

She seemed a little concerned, "That's really weird my dude. When I'm done maybe you should go take a nap or something."

The warm cloth on your neck was really soothing as she pulled away the gown on you and wiped away the prickly hairs from your neck. As she pulled back the washcloth, Sidon's red glittering hair came into her view. She paused at the sight of the red hair gracing your neck, her heart dropping into her stomach.

"Hey..." She said slowly, "You've got a stray back here... lemme just take care of that."

Her arm reached over your shoulder to grab her scissors, your eyes widened as you got a good look at her skin. In those moments her skin looked as if it was slightly transparent, with a layer of blue beneath. A sharp breath was held as her arm was pulled back, her scissors in tow. Were her fingers turning red?

_'Keep a sharp eye, Small One.'_

Your eyes widened as your stomach twisted in anxiety. There was no way. You had known her your entire life- there was no way she was fae, right?! There was no-

Snip.

The sound was so loud in the sudden silence of your mind. You swallowed hard and looked down to your lap to see the red hair gently sitting on your lap. Your hands started to shake as your heart pounded and tears threatened your eyes. Out of nowhere it felt like she had cut more than just your hair.

"All done~" There was a chipper tone in her voice.

You couldn't even find it in yourself to breathe, your heart screaming in your chest. The sudden feeling of crushing loneliness and abandonment wracked you. All at once it felt like the presence he seemed to have on your daily happenings vanished, just like that.

Disbelief shook you as you looked at her shears, how could they have cut his hair?! You tried everything that night, and nothing had even attempted to cut through, why the fuck were these so spe- and then it hit you like a ton of bricks.

The scissors were iron.

Overwhelming guilt rocked you, and sent you spiraling. You had to go see him. You had to go see him. You had to go-

"Are you ok?" She asked as she set her hand on your shoulder, "I didn't fuck up your hair did I?"

Trying to bite back tears you looked at her hand, now completely normal, "You knew..." You said quietly.

"What?"

"You cut that red hair- because you're just like him."

Your friend took a slow inhale, "It was just a loose hair-"

"No. It wasn't." Now that you had a good look at her, her skin was back to normal and her air seemed a bit more hostile, "What are you?"

"What do you mean what am I? I am your best friend? What are you talking about?" She said taking a step back from you.

You bit your lip, if you were wrong you were gonna sound crazy, "I know about the fae, and your shitty fruit. I saw your eyes and your skin! I know you're one of them! Have you always been like this?!"

"H-how- who gave you that charm?! You had no idea- where did you get that?!" She snapped, the tension in the kitchen suddenly thick.

"It doesn't matter where I got it! You cut it and now you've ruined everything! How long were you gonna keep lying me about what you are?! Is everyone else like this or just fuckin' you?!" You fired everything out at once before she could put a word in edgewise.

You knew she was gathering her patience to respond, but you were so frazzled. It felt like your body was completely coming undone as this overwhelming force to go to him pulled on you. Your body felt weak as you tried to hold yourself up, was all this really because she clipped his hair?

"God, he imprinted you, you're losin' it." She said calmly once again, "I'm the only one of our friends that's like this, and I cut that hair because I knew it was like this. You don't see me for months, and then you show up smelling to high heavens of the fae?! What the fuck was I supposed to do?! I was trying to protect you! I know about this shit! What is he, huh? Do you even know?" She was pissed, but worried.

She was still the friend you knew and loved, but how angry you were that she had never told you, "Why should I tell you? It clearly wasn't important to tell me you're a fuckin' faery?! We've only known each other our entire lives?!"

"I was afraid! Afraid of something like this- but- I know you're mad at me right now, but you have to promise you won't go back to him! What was he?! Please tell me so I can help you!" She had moved up to you again, placing her hand on your shoulder.

"I don't really remember asking for your help? Not to be rude- but I've spent quite a bit of time researching and spending one on one time with him and he has never tried to harm me!" You shouted, clearly upset that she would question you so harshly.

"Oh yeah? Don't act like I can't see that giant fucking scar on your thigh." She said as her eyes flicked down your thigh.

Your face got hot, "What do you mean, there's nothing there?!"

You were right, you couldn't see the scar from that night. Remembering the feeling of the cool healing salve on your leg made it tingle a little, but when it hardened and came off, there was no scar to be seen.

She scoffed, "What did he tell you, that it was healing salve of something?"

You said nothing, but your cheeks betrayed you.

"Well- it's not, not all the way. It was glamour and a healing spell." She could tell you didn't know what that was, "I thought you did your research? Glamour is like- how do I explain this fast and easy... ok- glamour is like a full body mask for the fae. It's what makes me- look like you."

Your eyes narrowed, "So- like a morphsuit?"

"Yeeeeah- kinda. He put glamour over your thigh to hide the scars on your leg, a sweet gesture, but it makes you almost a target for any fae nearby because of how it smells." She explained as the two of you sat down, finally calming down, "But it's crazy- this glamour is really strong..." She trailed off.

"You knew I was imprinted the second I walked in the door, didn't you?" You said slowly.

"Try down the block."

Your heart sank into your stomach, "You never answered Me- what are you?"

She swallowed hard and offered to sit back down, "Let's sit down and talk about this? How about  _quid pro quo, Clarice_?" She chuckled lightly at her half assed reference, "I tell you what I am- and you tell me what he is."

"Why does it matter to you so much what he is?" You asked rather indignantly.

She set her hand on your arm before giving a heavy sigh, "Because- there are so many horrible fuckin' things fae do- I never want to see my best friend go through any of the scary shit I've seen."

"I've already seen what y'all are capable of- I've eaten your weird fruit-"

"Wait," She cut you off, "What weird fruit? What did it look like?"

Just remembering how it made you feel, how he made you feel that night already had your cheeks burning. You desperately wanted to get up and leave. It felt like he was pulling you to him, screaming for you.

"It was white, and purple on the inside. And it smelled like oranges and roses- it tasted amazing." You explained with a light sigh.

Her face paled, "Are you kidding me? First the glamour, now this? Do you actually know what he is- because this isn't everyday shit he's giving you!"

You huffed, "Yes, I know what he is. You first."

"You're being so stubborn- fine. I'm a Changeling. I replace human babies that the fae take for themselves." She waved her hand around, "So yeah. Your turn now."

You already knew how she was going to react when you told her what he was, "Well- he's uh- he's a-" Taking a deep breath to settle yourself, you just blurted it out, "He's-a-Kelpie."

Her jaw almost hit the floor and your bowels twisted with anxiety. Like a siren's song though, all you could think of was seeing him- touching him- kissing him-

"A kelpie?! Really?! Like honestly you're not fuckin' with me right now?!" She was almost screeching.

You shook your head and she continued on, "Hey if I woulda known you were into fae guys, I have a couple I coulda introduced You- but this? That's like the worst one?!"

"It's not like he's tried to drown me or anything any of the times I went to see him." You put in.

"Any of the times? How many times have you seen him?"

"Enough times..."

She groaned and rubbed her temples, "I'm gonna help you get out of this. But you have to want it. Do you want to get away from him?"

Get away from him? She kept talking like you were being held against your will? Well- maybe you were at first, but now you looked forward to his company. You really did have deep feelings for him, were you ready to give that up?

"I- I don't want to. He's really kind to me, and treats me really well." You started.

"Yeah, until he takes you under." Seeing you slump a little, she took a slow deep breath, "Look, I'm not saying all this to be an ass- you gotta trust me when I tell you that you don't want to get tied up with kelpies. I know you're suffering right now, but the first twenty-four hours is always the worst." She was trying to warn you but you were tired of it.

Your body was pumping with adrenaline, your head pulsing a million miles an hour as she spoke. You needed to go to him- despite all she had told you, you needed to go to him. The hair she cut from your neck was still held firm in your hand, a feeble attempt to keep the connection between you alive.

You pushed away from the table and stood up, "I need to go. Thank you for haircut and the anthropology lesson- but I really gotta go."

"Hey wait-!" She called after you, "Don't go to him! It's a last ditch effort for kelpie to catch their prey- I'm begging you. Please."

You grabbed your things as she spoke before you went to the door and looked at her, now standing up at the table, "I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me about this side of you. You're still my best friend- I've just- I've gotta go figure some stuff out."

She called your name as you walked out the door, but you didn't faulter in your step. Almost sprinting to your car, tears brimmed at your eyes. Everything you thought you knew about the world kept distorting and nothing seemed real. Setting a course of home, you laid on the gas and sped out of the neighborhood.

\--

You burst through your front door, sick and shaking as you stumbled through. Your symptoms were getting worse by the minute. Moving into the bathroom, you looked at your pallid complexion, surprising yourself.

Splashing your face with water you hoped to clear your head or maybe calm down a little, but as you came up from the sink you could have sworn you saw him behind you for just a split second. Your phone was going off in your pocket from your friend trying to get a hold of you to see if you were alright, and that you weren't going to the kelpie. You wanted to. With every fiber in your being you wanted to go see him- and you knew that's what he wanted.

"Oh Sidon..." You said softly as you felt your breath getting shallow.

White hot heat started flooding through you, heavy and thick like his aphrodisiac. You leaned your body against the wall, sliding down the cool surface. Your head was swimming in clouds as you slowly slipped between consciousness.

 _"You tricky girl..."_  His voice echoed in your head.

"Sidon?" You asked to the empty air of your hallway.

 _"Yes Love,"_  He continued,  _"Come back to me- I will make you feel better."_

The words of your friend pushed through the silk of his tone,  _"... the first twenty-four hours is always the worst."_

So what would happen if you didn't go to him, for twenty-four hours. The thought of potentially never seeing him again pained you, but the reality of the situation was far too heavy to ignore. But maybe-

"I can't..." You whispered as you folded your legs against your chest, and cried against your knees.

Hugging your legs tight, you cried hard into them as your head spun. You wanted him so bad your body ached for him, but you weren't even sure you would be able to make it the drive up. Your hands were still shaking as you tried to get a grip.

_"Won't come to me?"_

His voice pulsing through your head made you gasp and look around every time. You were hoping to god that none of this was real.

"Then I will have to come for you."

Your heart skipped a beat before you heard a creak at the bottom of the staircase. The next thing you knew, you were slammed against the wall, the wind knocked clear out of you. Your vision blurred and all you could see was red.

Sidon was holding you against the wall with his hands wrapped around your chest, his claws piercing your shirt and skin, making little stains of blood form on your top. The fire in his eyes a stark contrast to the chilled water pooling around his feet. A sob scraped your throat as helplessness consumed you as he breathed down your neck with vicious intent.

"Were you going to come back to me?"

Another choked sob left you, "I don't know! It's a lot ok?! I'm so fucking scared- I don't know anything about your kind and my best friend of one of you too! My whole life- I never knew..."

Guilt welled in his stomach before he set you back down on the ground as you continued, "I really like you- but she's telling me I shouldn't! But you make me feel so good and like nothing is wrong with the world for just a little while! But you really scare the shit out of me..." You sniffled and wiped your eyes.

There was a hard knock on your front door, "Come on! I know you're home! I just wanna talk!"

Your friend was outside, calling out for you in the cool night wind. Sidon's head whipped around to her calls, then looked back at you with wild eyes. Fear and terror destroyed you from within as his hands clasped around you, ripping you from the floor. You couldn't help the cry that left your throat as he took you up into his arms.

She heard your cry and her calls became more frantic, "Hey! Let me in!" She cried your name again as she began to run around your studio windows, hoping to find an unlocked window.

In his arms you looked up at him, your vision blurring as warmth flooded you. Your thoughts started to slow and your world was becoming an abstract of colors spiraling. The only clear thing you could pull from the warping world was Sidon's visage, the stress and anger apparent on his features before looking at you with gentle eyes while your world went dark.

"Let's go somewhere a little more private to talk, shall we?"

A loud crash made Sidon turn to the window where your friend had started climbing through. As her eyes drank in his form and your nearly lifeless body, all the color drained from her face.

Sidon shot your friend a smirk, "So you're the friend she talks about all the time, she really is quite fond of you."

"Put her down!" She screamed.

"I would sooner perish."

With that, the pool of water around his feet turned black, allowing him to drop through seamlessly with you in tow. Your friend rushed him, but he was gone by the time she reached the now closed portal.

She skid on the wet floor and huffed, "Shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, but of a shorter chapter this time, but just wanted to pop in an say thank you so much for all the kind words about this piece and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it! I definitely have more to come, and yeah thank you all again so much for your support!
> 
> \-- 
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	5. Headfirst

It had been years since she had gone to see her, the monarch of the Seelie court. Anxiety pricked through your friend as she walked deeper into the orchard. The Seelie fae tended to spend their time in places like this, groves and riversides that seemed endless.

A light scent floated in the air as the density of fae became higher. The chill of winter was quickly knocked from her shoulders the deeper she walked into the mass of trees and fae. Their clear eyes peered at her curiously, while she tried not to look at the euphoric pets laying around them. It wasn't long before she was approached by a semi-familiar face. The sweet lavender hair that framed their pitch black eyes made their features somewhat tolerable as they got handsy, as they tended to be.

"We were wondering when you would return to us Umren," The creature said coolly as their hand drifted under her chin, "Will you be stayin-"

She swatted away their hand and continued to walk quickly, "Zelda is here right?"

"Of course, she's always here for Ēostre, will you be joining us this year?" They answered as they kept in stride.

The sudden image of the last Ēostre she attended had been uncomfortable to say the least. A celebration that had meant the start of spring, had more or less just turned into a gathering to show off humans and get wild with one another. The best possible part she enjoyed was probably the flower wreath weaving, but that was long in the past.

"No, and don't call me that either." She snapped.

"Umren? But it's your name- how should I call you then?"

"You don't."

She brushed them off and strode into the main throng of the court. The air seemed to glimmer and the twilight that faded through the leaves added a sweet hue to the scene. As she approached the center of their gathering, the air was warmer, like a summer night. It wouldn't be fair to say that she didn't enjoy coming to the courts, but that was the problem.

Coming up to a large circle of fae and humans alike, the sweet smell of apple blossoms and sandalwood drifted about her. Sitting under a large willow tree, they were cut away from the rest of the fae sitting around them, a viel between the common folk and nobility. Catching her eye at the head of the circle was the high fae, the elven head of the Seelie court with her advisors. Dripping in light silks and delicate sliver and gold jewelry made them look like gods of old.

The matriarch sat upon the lap of another larger female fae, the paleness of the elven girl was made more dramatic by her partner's beautifully tan skin. Her golden hair being combed and braided as her advisor hummed a soft melody. They seemed so far removed from this world as they sat together.

Her gaze moved to another fair skinned elven boy. His head was resting on the folded legs of girl with bright red hair, as she put on a small display for him. With an apple in her hand, your friend watched as the redhead faery turned an apple from rotten to perfectly ripe over and over. The blond boy resting on her lap seemed more enamored with the girl than her tricks.

"Have you been well Umren?" The elven girl spoke in a tone that was akin to music, her smile heart stopping.

Your friend swallowed hard and took a slow breath, "Yes, Your Eminence, I've been well-"

"What brings you to the courts? It is unlike you to spend your time with us." Her words were always cut with hidden meaning, the fae always hiding behind their speech.

She got down on one knee with her head bowed, "Please, I need your help Lady Zelda."

"Of course she does, that's the only time she ever comes knocking on our door." Another fae snapped.

She hadn't noticed him at first as he sat beside Zelda, but now as she took a good look at him, how could she have missed him before? Feathers of deep blue ruffled and covered his body, while a sharp beak jutted from his face. The sight was always a little jarring when she hadn't gone to the courts in a while, all the different fae were truly a wonder of their own.

"I only come to you when things are out of my hands, and-" she paused for a second, "Someone I really care about is in danger- I fear."

Zelda seemed piqued as she leaned forward on her advisor's lap, "And what sort of help were you looking for from me?"

"I need to you tell me about a strong glamour my human friend had on her leg. It was stuff only one of you could have pulled off." She explained, the eyes of the court boring into her.

"None of us have put glamour on a human girl, nor have we heard of anyone using it in such a way." The advisor spoke up, her voice curious and gentle as her superior.

The fae with bright red hair that had been playing with the apple stopped, "Do you know anything of the folk who may have put it on her by chance?" Sweet and whimsical was her voice as the blond boy resting on her shifted a bit, making the blue jewels covering her tinkle lightly.

When your friend's eyes glided over to the fae speaking, her gaze was caught by the deep honey irises holding her. The rouge that cascaded down into a large thick braid behind her paired with those eyes sent her back to the furious kelpie that had taken you. Those eyes-

"She was seeing a kelpie." Her tone was almost flat as she answered the fae maiden.

A murmur broke out amongst the court, soft whispers of surprise and suspicion. The group of fae royalty let their faces become unreadable, except for Zelda. A gentle smile remained on her features as everyone around her seemed to be looking through you.

"A kelpie?" She chimed, "We haven't had such folk come through the courts in ages. They are more solitary types, as you know. I am deeply impressed that your friend even came across one and lived to tell the tale."

It amazed her how her voice could sound so sweet, but be as cold as ice. The fae surrounding her were still unreadable as her sight flashed over them.

"Okay, that's great and all, but that doesn't explain how he ended up with such powerful glamour- I could smell her down the street! That isn't just regular shit!" Your friend raised her voice a little, but Zelda still kept her calm demeanor.

"You really are a foolish halfling!" Snipped the bird-like fae, "Even if your friend did come across a kelpie, they are ancient creatures with untold amounts of power at their disposal! If you think that we have the market cornered on high powered glamour then you are as dull as you seem."

If she hated one thing, it was being called a halfling, "Since you seem so keen on being rude to me, how is your training to become Zelda's knight going? I imagine you're being fasttracked to being her right hand by this point." He huffed and his feathers ruffled lightly before she continued, "Yeah that's what I thought."

The elven boy chuckled and glanced at the bird, the other not so amused. Umren could tell Zelda was annoyed with this banter, giving a short sigh.

"Revali, that's enough." She said quietly, "We could go like this for eternity, but to cut to your answer, no, we know nothing of this kelpie that took your friend. Will that be all?"

Your friend was desperate, letting her gaze fall back on the golden eyed fae, "What about her. The charm I cut from my friend's neck looked just like her hair, she never saw any human or gave any of her hair away for a trade?"

Zelda let her look move over to the girl sitting beside her on the ground, "Mipha dear, would be so kind as to answer this young fae's inquiries?"

Mipha nodded slowly before speaking, "I have not seen a human girl in years, at least none that were not already here, and I certainly have never given away my hair."

With a loud groan your friend rubbed her temples, "Right, ok, well. If you see anything or get any leads- you know how to find me."

"Maybe you should try the  _Borough_?" Revali called to her as she turned on her heels.

Exasperation flooded your friend as she hit another wall. Moving fast, she quickly left the main grip of the gathering and went back out into the cool spring night. With fried nerves and a tired spirit, your friend headed back up the road to her car.

The idea of going to the Borough shook her. Unspeakable tortures of both fae and human alike ran rampant within the Unseelir court, taking a trip there could be the last risk she ever took. She wouldn't believe that the red hair fae named Mipha wasn't still in on whatever was happening to you. Her stomach twisted with knots of anxiety as she sat in her car, she knew her next move.

\--

Cold. You were cold, so cold. A shiver coursed through your body as you shifted, realizing you were being held. The first thing you were greeted to again was the bright red strands of hair flowing about. You shifted and groaned, fully getting a taste of the chilling air. Your body ached as fried desire tore at your mind from his imprint.

As everything seemed to come together you turned your head away from him, looking down. A scream erupted from the back of your throat when you saw what was below, the two of you sitting on the edge of a service walkway under the train tracks, over a hundred feet in the air. Black water rushed under you, a very clear threat if you made the wrong move.

"Welcome back."

His voice was thick like molasses, with a vice grip on you. He wasn't looking at you, rather, his gaze rested upon the moon high in the sky. You shifted, but he really wasn't letting you move too much.

"I was gonna come back... probably." You mumbled against him.

Now his eyes fell down to you, his look was hard and unreadable, "Do you truly fear me as you said earlier?"

A pit formed in your stomach as you quickly remembered everything that happened before you dropped through the portal. The yelling you lobbed at him before let a sigh slip from you now. Yeah, of course you were scared of him, but it wasn't as if he had ever intentionally hurt you; the folklore was more than enough.

"I guess it wouldn't be fair to say that I'm not afraid of you at all." Your eyes shifted down to the river and then back to him, "I'm a little freaked out now, but beyond that, I know you haven't hurt me maliciously- it's just all the stuff I've read about your kind, I should be running for the hills, but here I am."

"Here you are indeed." He paused for a moment, "I've been thinking about what I should do with you. There is really only one option that is laid before me."

Your heart jumped with fear as he spoke, this was it, wasn't it?

"What do you mean? Why can't we go back to how it was? I didn't want her to cut it! I- I-" The words that hung on the tip of your tongue haunted you as your throat tightened around the thought, "I love you."

His gaze slowly moved and locked on yours, silence so thick you couldn't cut it with a machete. The thundering in your chest was banging in yours ears and you were sure he could hear it too. Still, Sidon's features were hard as he tried to ascertain if you were being honest or not.

"You Love me? Is that so?" He wanted to believe you, dear goddess did he want to believe you.

"I really do- when she cut that hair- I lost it. I know part of it was you, but I felt like my whole world had ended- I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing you again or breaking this imprint of whatever." You couldn't stop the couple tears that came streaming down your face.

"If you do love me, then you must trust me then? Do you not?" He said smoothly.

You hesitated, "I do-"

"With your life?"

With all your heart you knew that was a loaded question. He had you good though, as your feet dangled over an unforgiving tide. You wanted to trust him, you really did.

"I trust you," You swallowed, "With my life."

"Then- do not take your eyes off me."

You looked into his eyes and nodded silently, waiting to see his next move. With a light shove of his hand, the two of you dropped off the rail. In a split second your eyes widened as your body became weightless in his arms.

He could see the sudden fear in your eyes and gripped your face in his hand tightly, "I said do not look away, Small One."

You kept your eyes locked on his despite the scream and cry that left you as you hurdled down to the current below. The frigid water that wrapped around you felt like knives cutting through you. Another scream was poised to leave your lips, but never came as the icy water closed around your face and the last thing in your vision were the suns in his eyes. Finally, you closed your eyes.

Just as soon as the water swallowed you in a tight grip, a warmth filled your lungs and breathed fresh life onto your face. A soft cushion was suddenly under your feet and you were standing upright, completely dry. His grasp on you loosened and released you as you tried to get a grasp on everything that had just happened. You were afraid to open your eyes, but the sight they were greeted to as they flickered open left you speechless.

Your feet were planted on soft dirt as a large dome roof with intricate roots knotted above you. The large space was packed with odds and ends both fae and mundane, all unique and eye catching. What caught your full attention was the vast bookshelf that lined the far wall. It's shelves were littered with bottles of all shapes and colors, well preserved antique books and scrolls, and various tools with trinkets and carvings well worn into them.

"This is your home-" You meant for it to be a question, but you trailed off in your amazement.

You could hear him doing something with the water before he moved past you with a slight smile, "This is my home."

As he strode past you, his tail swished back and forth slightly, the oddity of his kelpie form still mesmerizing. He didn't seem to shy about how he looked in front of you at this point, but you could see he was nervous. With your eyes going back to scanning the room, you spotted a small fireplace, the embers of the last flame still glowing.

"So- am I just gonna be your captive now?" You tried to play it off as an inconvenience, but your stomach fluttered with anxiety.

"Is that how this seems?" He asked as he sat down at a wooden desk.

You took a few steps forward, "Just a little bit." Taking a slow breath, you walked over to him, "You kinda just kidnapped me in front of my best friend. She was already pretty pissed that I was even talking to you."

His eyes scanned up and down you as you stood right in front of him, "Is she your keeper?"

The tease in his voice ruffled you, "No, she's not me keeper. She's just-" You paused and shrugged, "Worried, ya know?"

"I can understand her concern, but she has nothing to fear-" He took your hand in his, "I will take the best care of you, but- you already knew that, Small One."

Candles that littered the room, hanging and dripping down the walls, creating the soft glow that danced over the space. With his eyes laying into you with their honey snare, there was a promise in his words. Your hand that was clasped within his made your heart jump a little. That painful pull for him hadn't been qwelled still since she cut the charm from your neck, leaving your nerves sore with longing.

You could see the slow, deep rise and fall of his chest. The sweet look on his face was inescapable as you felt your weight shift and move closer to him. As you moved in, his hand slid up your arm and slipped around your back as you stood between his legs. Your hands moved and rested on his cheeks as you sat eye level with him, holding his gaze as he held yours.

"I know your hunger for me still burns inside of you." He said lowly, his eyes slightly lidded as his lips closed in on yours.

Your hands trembled a little as excitement started to push through you, "You never answered me," Your words stopping his lips as they brushed yours, "Am I your captive now?"

He didn't want to answer you, that much was obvious, "I won't make you stay if you don't want to, but do you really want to leave me?"

An all too familiar tingle started to creep through your veins. He was lightly pumping you with his love potion again, your knees weak. You really didn't want to leave him. Relaxing into his grasp, your lips fell against his as his arms closed you in. He smoothly helped you to sit on his lap, making it easier to let his hands crawl all over you. Putting space between you for just a moment, you could see the fire in his eyes, his grasp possessive.

"Maybe tonight, take it easy on the faery Viagra, ok?" You asked with a slight smile.

His brow crooked in confusion, "Uh- the aphrodisiac, chill."

That seemed to get through before he continued, "Are you sure you can handle me without it?"

Your heart started racing at his question, "Y-yeah. I wanna have you like I would anyone else, no magic- just- us."

It felt like your words were tripping and falling off your tongue in nervous excitement. You hadn't been with him when he was like this. Well, his tongue, but- not the rest of him. It embarssed you how much it made you ache for him to take you like this. You shifted your hot thighs across the cool of his skin, making goosebumps prick your flesh.

The feel of his lips against yours once more had you putting your arms over his shoulders to keep him close. You were burning up for him as the imprint he had left ate you from the inside out. A heat rose to your cheeks as your hips began to rock against his.

"Tell me what you said before..."

His words caught you off guard as you were lost in your haze, "What? What I said before? What did I say before?" You paused for a second as he said nothing, "Oh."

You took his face in your hands and made him look you in the eyes, "I love you, Sidon."

The tenderness in your voice made him melt as he scooped and lifted you up in arms. You giggled and clung to him as he laid you against the pillows of his resting area. He came down around you, kissing you over and over as his hands fumbled with your clothes, his claws getting caught a bit in the fabric.

"Say it again." He said as he kissed your stomach sweetly.

Indulging him like this had your face hot, "I love you Sidon."

Finally freeing you of your clothes, his eyes took you in as he sat back for a moment. His full attention on your body completely bare had you getting slick between your legs, your heart pounding in your chest.

"Again."

You smiled, "I love you."

The more you egged him on, the hotter the flame burned inside of you. It felt like your body was made for him as the imprint warped your thoughts and pulled you into his grasp. You were so small compared to his looming frame above you, your eyes drinking in every feature against the warm light. As you said those magic words again, he came down to kiss you, his hands rubbing your thighs teasingly.

"Tell me how much you desire me." He said as his lips pressed against your ear.

You chuckled lightly, "You really like hearing about yourself."

He sat back a little with a blush, it was quite the change to the confidence he usually held. You could tell the situation had gotten a touch awkward as his hands loosened a bit on you.

"But-" You started, "I'll talk about you 'til I'm blue in the face, so-" With a teasing lip bite you paused, "I want you, more than anything."

The firmness in your tone and the honesty in your words made him give you a warm smile. Sidon's arms wrapped around you, the feel of his skin was slick, but something about it seemed- rough? Your touch began to wander across his arms and shoulders, your mind still endlessly curious about his form like this. While your hands danced around him, the room got darker as some of the candles glittering around you went out. With only a couple now lit around the room, his eyes seemed to glow in the lack of light.

Sweet- that was the only way you could describe his touch as he littered kisses down your face and neck. The idea of him biting you again floated through your head, the mix of his aphrodisiac and the pain made a feeling you could never shake. A groan left you as his tongue slipped between your legs. To have him pleasing you like this again was simply bliss, you felt your hands grip his crest and hold it tight. At the feel of your hands gripping at him, he shot you a look as he kept his mouth against your bits.

He left you writhing in pleasure as his hands sailed up you and played with your breasts. With each flick of his tongue the heat that pumped through left you begging for more and more. All too soon you felt a rush of cool air against you as he pulled his head up and away. A soft whine from you made him smirk and move up between your legs.

Wild excitement ripped through you as you felt his length brush against you. Your eyes glanced down to see the cobalt member eagerly slipping between your lips. But something was off, as his hips moved against yours something else was bumping against you. All the while he had been making himself busy by leaving sweet kisses around your neck and shoulders, when he pulled up he could see the slight confusion written across your features.

"Something wrong?" He asked coolly.

"I don't know?" Your eyes flicked down again as a heavy blush covered your cheeks.

Sidon's eyebrow crooked before he realized what you were worried about. He moved his hips back and stuck his hand between his legs before letting his hips fall forward again and two large members smacked against your stomach. A clear fluid dripped onto you and made your eyes flutter back to him, obviously swept away with him.

"Do not fret, Small One, only one for tonight." He said as he leaned down, his hand running through your hair as his hips began to shift against you again.

_...for tonight._

The idea of him using both on you made you shiver with delight as he kissed you roughly. Completely wrapped up in him, he nudged a tip into you, the other slipping around freely. The rush that went through you as he eased himself into you made you moan against him.

"Do tell me if it's too much Love, I don't want to hurt you." He was straining mildly, trying to hide the groans bubbling from his throat.

Seeing him drop that cocky facade made your heart melt, but you nodded quickly as assurance that you would stop him if need be. Sinking himself into you, a groan and loud moan echoed in the dome chamber as the two of you fully connected. You looked up at him with lidded eyes, his hand cupping your face, thumbing over your cheek. The throb of his other cock against you made your head spin with sweet desire and your hips bucked against him a little, begging for movement.

It did hurt though. The sheer size of him opened you up wider than you had ever gone, the delicate flesh stinging delightfully with any movement. You suspected he was using a little of his magic to make it easier on you, which was welcomed now. With his rhythm staying slow and deep, you looked up to see his face as he pressed into you.

His brow was knitted, with a mouth open and panting to the beat of his heaving chest. You couldn't take your eyes off him as he rutted into you with fevor, his groans filling your head. The sharpness of his teeth made your heart clench a little as he leaned in, licking against your neck.

"Y-you can bite me... if you want." You said slow and low as his lips brushed against your tender skin.

Sitting back with a slightly amused look on his face his voice was laced in lust, "Are you sure Love?"

A simple nod was all that passed between you before he pressed his lips against your shoulder, kissing you sweetly. Mild anxiety tickled you as you felt his mouth part and tips of his teeth graze you.

Warmth filled and dripped from his mouth as a cry echoed from you. A wave of pleasure washed over you as he filled you every way he could, his personal magic burning you from the inside. Once his grasp released on you, ecstasy ripped through you as blood streamed down your chest and down your back. With your rubies falling from his mouth, his grasp held you firmly as he pushed into you with renewed vigor.

As you gazed up at him seeing stars, the look in his eyes had gone completely feral, wild and unforgiving. The differences between you were left at door normally, but as his claws gripped into your thighs and the power of his thrusts threatened your gait, he was unlike any other. Unwavering bliss blinded you as you called out for him, arms outstretched, begging for his touch.

Too much of you was spilling out against the pillows as you unraveled around him. With your insides holding him tight, he let himself fill you until it dripped from you, but you were already fading. Heavenly bliss lifted you away from him as your vision slowly crept in black.

You smiled up at him, face pale, "I love you..."

Panic quickly pulled him from the afterglow, "Love?"

His hand came down around your face and cupped your head in his grasp, your eyes falling closed. As darkness took you, Sidon's cries seemed to drift further and further, your energy flickering.

A final thought passed through before you lost your grip- was this the new normal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Links **
> 
> [☆ Chapter Playlist ☆](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9fMC0TUn9C3ZjwYVg8zasLzpZiE192vp)
> 
> [♤ Blog ♤](https://dominarava.tumblr.com)


	6. Power Fantasy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh how I wish I could conjure,  
> That deathly ensnaring pleasure.  
> The hollow of my body,  
> Begs for the nectar of their pome.  
> A blaze that burns me from within,  
> Unquenched by the tidings of fae.  
> How my mouth waters,  
> To feel the soft flesh on my tongue.  
> Twisted into painful lust I cry,  
> Bless me once more with splendour.  
> Dearest fae I am on my knees,  
> Let my teeth sink into your fruit.  
> Spirit me away from this realm,  
> So that I may never hunger again. 
> 
> \- _Unknown_

Fabric gripped and held you as your arms stretched out, a large yawn opening your mouth wide. Warmth surrounded you as your eyes flickered, taking in the odd surroundings. Roots that tangled endlessly above you were a sincere reminder that you were still in his den, his domain.

Sitting up you quickly realized he was nowhere in the large chamber. A fire was quietly popping in the hearth, so you knew he hadn't been gone too long. Glancing over there was a small plate of cured meats, fruits, and bread with a glass of water on the table next to where you had slept. A sort of tenderness filled you at the sight of his gesture, but cautious optimism was kept at bay by fear of the unknown. They couldn't have spiked water though, right?

You got up and picked up the glass of water, taking deep chugs as your mouth felt drier than the Sahara. Keeping the blanket he had laid over you wrapped around your frame, a phantom tingle made you very aware of your shoulder. As the images of your blood dripping from his mouth flooded your head, your hand reflexively went to where the wound should have been. But once again there was nothing to be found, briefly wondering if that magic goop he uses would help knock out some of your stretch marks.

With the comforter around you, you began to poke around his home, munching on the bread he had left as well. The fluffy texture of the sweet roll had your mouth begging for more as hunger pulled at your gut. The cool of the stone floor against your feet sent a slight shiver through you as you walked up to his writing desk.

Papers, bottles, and small trinkets littered the desk in organized clutter. Everything had a place like a puzzle piece, leaving you worried about touching anything. There was a quill sitting in ink, the plumage was vibrant, deep blue with accents of red and white. You curiously wondered who he was sending letters to.

As your legs carried you around the dome over to the mantle of the fireplace, his home felt familiar, but you found yourself back at his desk. As you carefully eyed the different bottles and vials, one small vial popped from the rest. The contents seemed to be a golden powder that shifted pale purple as you moved around it. It was so pretty. You picked it up and the chilled glass quickly warmed to your touch. Something like siren's song seemed to be begging you to open it-

"I am glad to see you are up," Sidon said as he climbed from the pool he brought you through, "What is it you have there?"

You turned to see his dripping figure, the vial filled with powdered gold still in your grasp. His eyes widened with concern for a moment, but quickly switched back to his normal gaze. In two large strides he was next to you, a heavy air laying on his shoulders.

"You really have an eye for danger." He said quietly.

"What is this?" Worry seeping into your voice.

"Nevermore."

"What does it do?"

"It is a very powerful narcotic."

You almost dropped the vial, you were holding faery drugs?! He held his hand out and you quickly gave it back, shock rattling your bones.

"Why do you have it?" Your voice cracked a little.

"It's not as horrible as you seem to be implying, Small One."His eyes were light with a smirk on his face as he gave you space.

A dark blush covered your cheeks, "Oh really? Then what does it do?"

Setting the vial back on the desk he seemed to be choosing his words carefully, "For the folk, it's how we can live among you in your cities of iron. An antidote if you will. For humans-" He paused and gave you a side glance, "The first thing you notice is it acts much like your heroin, but with a bit of step up from that- It makes you like us."

Your heart jumped at the intrigue, "What do you mean?"

"Full of questions today are we?" A devious grin pulled at his lips.

"Aw come on, you can't tell me about faery drugs and then hold back! What does it do to us?" You wanted to know everything you could about his world, even the bad parts.

"Well, beyond blinding euphoria- you can glamour other humans."

"You mean like change how they look?"

He shook his head, "Not necessarily- that is only part of what glamour can do. You see, glamour can also be used to make you do things you wouldn't normally do, terrible things- and you will love every second of it."

The more you learned, the more dread started to climb up your spine, "But it's only like that when you're high, right?"

Once more he shook his head, "Glamour is an innate ability of the folk. Anyone can do it, at any time. Glamour is how we handle your kind."

The knowledge that any fae could take advantage of you whenever the mood struck made your skin crawl, the next question rolled off your tongue.

"Have you ever glamoured me?"

He shifted a little, "At first, that's how we call to any of you, but since then, I have not abused that power over you."

Had your best friend ever done it to you?

"Would I know if I had been glamoured?" You asked slowly, not sure if you wanted the answer.

"More than likely you would not, unless you made an effort to remember- but the whole idea is for it to be seamless, so you would never know."

Your stomach twisted, "Why are you being so honest with me about all this?"

Something flashed in his eyes, "The folk can tell no lie, and I tire of riddles and word games. Wouldn't you like to speak of something else?" Sidon's tone was light, trying to move you away from the shadows of the folk.

The more he spoke, the more he revealed, layers upon layers of tricks they had to deal with humans. What did he mean they couldn't lie? About anything? Your mind rushed back to anytime you thought your friend may have been lying, but maybe everything she had ever said- had been true.

"Can you glamour me?"

He snorted, "I have taken great care to never use such a tool on you, and yet here you are, begging to give me control over you."

"I wanna know- I wanna know what it's like. I wanna know if she ever glamoured me." Your cheeks burned as the words left your mouth.

"Your friend?" He supplied, to which you nodded, "I do not think she did. In the best interest of trust, we do not typically glamour mortals we enjoy- or rather that, ones we intend on keeping sane."

"Am I gonna go crazy if someone does?"

This whole time he had been seated at his desk, at eye level with you as you stood in front of him, picking through his words. He had poured so much information on you, and it was barely the tip of the iceberg. Curiosity still clawed at your nerves, wondering what all the pleasures of the fae were like. This whole new world had been opened before you and you couldn't wait to know more- to have more.

"Not at all- at least, not at first. Prolonged exposure though-" He trailed off, clearly not wanting to finish, "But since you are so charming- I could never say no to you."

A devilish smirk made its way to his lips, and suddenly the air felt thick and crisp at the same time. Everything in the room seemed to have angelic hue, and you were floating in your headspace. A dreamy look made its way over your features as you relaxed into his power.

"This is glamour. If you feel like this- it is too late." Sidon's voice was like honey, "Like this... I can make you do whatever I please." Again he paused, "Remove your garment."

Without a second thought you let the blanket that had been covering you fall to the ground in a puddle around your feet. In the back of your mind you were panicked, to have him control you so easily- it shook you to the core.

"Now, fondle your breasts."

Again you did as you were told without a single thought against it. Your cool hands gripping the heat of your chest, all as he sat back in his chair and watched with that same cheeky smirk. But never for a moment did the glamour let you feel embarrassed as you touched yourself in front of him, his gaze laying on you like a hawk.

"Now, give me a kiss."

You leaned in and kissed him gently, his lips warm and sweet. As your mind floated on seventh heaven, you didn't even see him motion to grab a silver blade on his desk behind him. When you pulled back you saw the dangerous metal in his grasp and couldn't stop yourself before speaking.

"What's that for?" You asked dreamily.

"I want you to take this, and plunge it right into your heart."

The command rang through your head and against the voice screaming from the back of your mind you said, "Of course~"

Reaching down and gripping the sheath of the dagger, there was no stopping this. Nothing could cut through the surreal hold of his glamour as you pulled the knife from its cover, the glittering silver catching your gaze. Smoothly though you lifted it with the point at your chest, your head singing with pleasure and heavenly light as you stood seconds from your death.

The look on Sidon's features seemed to be amused, how could he look so calm after asking you to kill yourself?! Nothing made sense as your arms snapped forward to being the blade into the warmth of your chest. Then, like a tablecloth ripped out from under, the glamour was gone and your hands released the knife. The dagger almost sounded like glass as it hit the stone floor.

Your heart was pounding as he spoke, "Never trust the folk, Small One."

\--

You spent the next couple days in his home, going about his things as he told you of all the stories of the courts and their wars and strife. Trying to keep your mind off the terrifying demonstration he had given with glamour, you had been asking him about all there was to know about Faery and it's politics. He even showed you a few of his scars he had earned in battle, some of them looked as though they had been deep.

"Are the courts still around?" You asked as you quietly thumbed over an old book from his shelf, a recipe book for who knows what.

"Of course." He answered, watching you lazily.

"What was your role in them?"

He swallowed, "I was part of the gentry."

You glanced at him with a raised brow, "Ah, so you were one of those fancy stuffy types then? Why did you leave?"

Sidon chuckled lightly, "I am not too keen on needless bloodshed for pleasure."

Needless bloodshed for pleasure...

What did he mean? Were the fae truly so bloodthirsty? Coupled with the warning you had gotten from your friend, you were inclined to believe him. How many had he seen killed for sport? Or how many and why had he killed? Mild anxiety left you not wanting to know the answer.

You wanted to go home. As much as you had enjoyed spending time with Sidon, facts were that you needed to freshen up and your phone was long since dead. He had let you wander around his home in next to nothing side a couple of garments that were just long cords of fabric you fashioned into a dress. He told you that you could leave anytime, right?

"Hey..." You said quietly, making his eyes lay on you, "I kinda want to go back to my place, not that I'm not having a good time with you- it's just that I have things I gotta check on and clean up."

"I figured you would want to be getting back to your home, sooner than later." He said as he pushed himself up off the plush chair he had been lounging in.

You quickly gathered what few things you had on you when your arrived, some dirty clothes and your personal effects. Keeping the fabric draped around you, all your things were in a ball in your arms.

In full strides he closed the distance between you, "Shall we?" As he spoke, his hand was out for you to grasp.

Water began to pool from nowhere around his feet, with the puddle reaching your toes. Taking his hand, he pulled you closer, your feet making the water splash up a little as his arm circled you.

"Wha-what are you doing?" You stammered.

"Oh, that is right, you were not conscious the last time I did this. Ah- just hold tight to me."

You did as you were told with what arm space you had, clinging tight to him as cool water rushed up your legs and your eyes snapped shut. The floor dropped out from under you and your body became weightless against Sidon as you fell through his portal. It felt as if you were falling into the ocean, cold and deep as you held fast to him. But as soon as it started it was over and you felt your feet on a firm ground.

Seeing your apartment again made a crushing wave of relief come over you. The two of you were standing in the small living room of your loft. Your eyes scanned the first floor, everything was how you left it for the most part. The only things out of place were the window and the small table plant you had put in front of it where your friend had climbed in. Panging guilt reminded you of her, and how worried she must have been.

You ascended the stairs to your bedroom, taking note of the place in front of the bathroom door where he had taken you. Clothes were strewn about the room, making you feel slightly embarrassed for him seeing your place like this, even though it wasn't his first time here. Throwing your soiled clothing in to an out of basket pile, you plopped on your bed, sinking into the softness of it. Oh, how you missed your bed.

Rolling over on your mattress, you reached for your phone cord, plugging in the dead device. In his home you didn't have any service on your phone, but as you went and plugged it in, it lit up with tons of notifications. Texts and missed calls from her and your work blew up your phone as they all rolled in. Good luck explaining to your employer you ditched your shifts because of a giant faery shark man.

It was his turn to do the snooping around the house as you got situated, his curious expressions endearing. Walking over to the edge you looked down at him, watching as he lightly inspected everything. He mentioned how long it had been since he had really interacted with a human, let alone been in their home. You wondered how much of a culture shock this all was as you watched him mess with your television.

Turning back to your phone, you opened your texts. Ranging from frantic to furious from your friend, and from your work your manager had left a strongly worded text about no-call-no-showing. You sent your friend a text:

_hey im back home, im safe and sound and not drowned_

**Send.**

_i wanna talk to you about everything_

**Send.**

_hmu as soon as you get this please_

**Send.**

Your attention went back to Sidon rummaging through your books, "So, are you staying here? Am I supposed to go back with you? Or what?"

He set down an art book he had picked up, gazing up to you, "I would not mind staying with you, but I can go if you like. I won't make you come back to me, for I know you can't live without me now."

Heat rose to your cheeks and you huffed quietly, "I'll let you stay if you aren't too much trouble. But we gotta keep it down, I can't have people knowing you're here. I'm gonna go shower, so you can do whatever you like- just don't break anything."

With that you quickly gathered up some clean clothes and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind you. Not that you believed he wouldn't be able to knock it down without breaking a sweat, but you needed to feel some sort of separation from what you had been through. The hot water that ran over you relaxed and settled your mind, for once you could take an easy breath. You were back home now with no pressure holding you, side the impending phone call or text from your friend.

The conversation that needed to happen kept rolling different ways in your head. Would knowing what she is now change anything between you? Would she still want to be your friend? Did you want to be hers? The years of having a viel over your eyes about her true nature burned you. How could she think she couldn't tell you?

Guilt started to fill your stomach as you thought about how much you wanted to see and talk to her about everything. All the new things you had learned about their world frightened and intrigued you, throwing minor caution to the saying curiosity killed the cat. You had to know more about them, more about what they are and what they were capable of.

Chilled air rushed you as you left the steaming room, towel wrapped around you as your lightly padded against the wood floor. You walked over to check your phone, but she hadn't replied. Not trying to dwell on it, you put your comfy clothes on and headed down the stairs to see Sidon lounging on the couch in his human form. You had almost forgotten how beautiful this side of him was, his red hair was pulled back up into a bun like you had done for him before.

He had taken the long strip of cloth you had been using to cover up to do the same, the royal indigo fabric contrasting his bright hair. Walking past him, you went into the kitchen, surveying what you had to eat. Did they eat normal things as well? Couldn't hurt to ask, right?

"What do you guys eat?" You asked, going through your fridge.

"Pardon?" The politeness in his voice making you think of how many times he spoke like that in the courts.

You moved from behind the fridge door to look at him, "Can you eat the same food we do, or do I have to feed you honey and crakers or some shit?"

That roused a chuckle from him, "Yes, I can partake of the food you eat, but you should concern yourself with your hunger first."

That surprised you a bit, you figured he would eat special things like pixie honey or ground ogre bones. As you combed through your cupboards, you couldn't find much of anything that looked good or that you wanted to make. The idea of just calling a pizza place seemed more and more desirable the longer you looked.

Sitting on the couch beside him, you pulled out your phone, "I'll just order in."

You sat there for a moment, ordering a pizza online, your favorite, Canadian bacon and pineapple, hoping he might like it too. Had he ever eaten pizza? Foolishness burned you, it was difficult being with someone who was so fundamentally different from yourself.

"So what do you do for entertainment?" His words rolling off his tongue as he looked down at you finishing your order.

"Oh, well there's movies, and tv shows, and YouTube, and video games, and I guess going clubbing and all that mess." You rattled off, but you could tell he didn't catch much of what you said.

He seemed distracted, "Are you ok?" You asked gently.

"Ah yes, I'm alright- so what about those- video games you mentioned a moment ago?" Sidon asked, dating himself.

With a light chuckle you nodded and turned on the television and your console. You watched as Sidon's eyes widened in amazement, child-like wonder filling his features. You loaded up a bright action packed shooter, picking your favorite character to show him the ropes. You giggled as he fumbled with the controls when you went to go grab the pizza when it arrived.

Between chomping down on pizza, playing video games, and watching stupid videos on YouTube, everything was starting to feel normal for once. Though you took great amusement in him trying the sickeningly sweet pineapples covering the pie, his expression quickly changing from confused curiosity to ferocious delight.

The two of you stayed up into the night, playing games and stuffing your faces full of pizza, highly carbonated sodas, and side of buffalo wings you impulse bought at the checkout. To be honest you couldn't have been more content to be like this with him, so casual and comfortable. Every other time you had really spent together it was always riverside in the frozen night, so to have him in the warm comfort of your loft was more than you could have hoped for.

Late in the night you checked your phone, hoping your friend had said something to you. As the screen came to life, you could see that there was no new notifications from her. You hoped she was alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Links **
> 
> [☆ Chapter Playlist ☆](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9fMC0TUn9C3ZjwYVg8zasLzpZiE192vp)
> 
> [♤ Blog ♤](https://dominarava.tumblr.com)


	7. Annie

The crackle of cooking bacon floated around your apartment, the midmorning sun being hidden behind dark rain clouds. You had your music playing real low as Sidon still slept above you in your bed. Both of you had stayed up late eating junk food and playing video games into the night, and now he was left in a deep sleep from all the new stimulation.

Rain began to tap the glass of the large window that made a quarter of your wall space as you flipped over the hash browns. She still hadn't texted or called you back. You tried not to let your nerves pick you apart, but the worry over her continued to make the pit larger in your stomach. Over and over you tried to tell yourself she had been busy or she was just mad for now and that she would come around, right?

The sound of your bathroom door echoed above you, signaling Sidon had awaken. His feet padding down the stairs made you smile while you finished putting the last bits of breakfast together. His hair had been pulled into a low ponytail with pointed ears poking up from the strands, framing his glittering eyes. What struck you were his narrow features, the slight rise in his cheeks, the edges of his jaw, looking willowy against the dimmed sunlight, and the sight of his lovely freckles littering his cheeks made you blush. He was too damn cute.

It looked like he had put on the sweat pants you had given him the night before, his otherworldly features opposed by the casual attire. Sauntering up to you he swiftly wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you in for a deep kiss. You clung to him and looked into his eyes as you parted, the fire ever alive in his gaze.

"Good morning~" He said with a grin against your lips.

You pushed against him, "Good morning to you too- I made breakfast."

"I see that, it looks delicious."

You had made up the few things that were still good in your fridge, some eggs, bacon, shredded spuds, and a couple pieces of toast. There would have been berries, but when you went to check on them, the few extra days in the fridge had not been kind. Still, the two of you sat and enjoyed the quiet rainy morning.

"Have you heard from your friend?" He asked as he got up and helped you clean up.

You shook your head, "No, and I'm really starting to worry. She never took this long to reply before- even on our worst fights."

He sighed softly, "Maybe it would be best if you went to see her."

You knew he was probably right, "Yeah, but what about you? You gonna be ok while I'm gone?"

The idea of leaving him alone in your house made you a little uncomfortable, but you weren't sure if you ready for him to leave either. A nagging fear pulling at your mind that everyone you left him, it would be the last.

"I am not bothered by your modern surroundings for now- I can stay, or leave, whatever will put you at ease."

"Please stay, I won't be too long, and maybe I'll actually be productive today and stop being your  _onahole_  for 2 seconds." You said with snort as Sidon looked at you with curious eyes, unfamiliar with the new word lobbed at him.

\--

The dogs in her apartment complex rattled like crazy as you walked by and up the cement stairs. Anxiety constricted in your gut and made you feel ill, hoping your face wasn't as pale as it felt. You felt like a bad dog owning up to tearing up the garbage as you made it to her door, the brass numbers on it mocking you.

The rap of your fist against her door made your heart slam against your chest as it echoed through her apartment. You sat there for a second waiting, you didn't think to check if her car was out front. Getting ready to turn and look out at the carport, her neighbor from two doors down poked out from her entryway.

"She hasn't been here in a few days- her cat has been making a racket in there! I'm glad someone is here to check on her!" The older woman called to you.

A cold sweat broke on your skin, she hadn't been home in a few days? She would never leave her cat alone for so long without telling someone, more over- she wouldn't just leave. With sweaty palms you thumbed through the keys in your hand, finding hers.

"Thank you Ms. Anderson, I'll make sure she is taken care of." You paused, "When was the last time you saw her?"

Ms. Anderson shifted a little uncomfortably, "Well, the night you girls had that tiff, I saw her leave that night, but the next afternoon she was gone again, and never came back." As the words left her mouth she seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, "Oh my- I do hope she is alright."

"I'm sure she is ok, possibly just an emergency trip to her parents or something." You lied, hoping to shift away from the conversation.

You had her door unlocked and stood there with the door cracked open, "Thank you again, I'm sure she will be glad to know she has people concerned about her."

As you walked into her apartment the first thing that hit your nose was the smell. Since she hadn't been around to clean the litter box, the small living space reeked of it. Next out the darkness came the cat bounding for you, wailing in hunger. You immediately rushed over into the kitchen and grabbed the cat food, plating some and giving it to the ravenous animal.

"Anju!" You called her name out into the empty abode, but no to avail.

Everything looked normal, nothing was really out of place, side what the cat may have knocked over or gotten into. Everything except her phone and keys were there. It was as if she just went to the liquor store and never came back.

Your chest ached and you slumped against the cabinets. The last thing you had said to her had been out of anger- frustration- and now you sat in a puddle on her kitchen floor. Tears stung your eyes as you tried to figure out what to do. Her parents were a good four hours away, and you knew they weren't overly close, but still you unlocked your phone.

The ringing waiting for them to pick up seemed like an endless second, but a strange familiar voice picked up on the other line, "Hello?"

Her voice was light and whimsical, catching you off guard for a moment. Then you remembered what Anju had told you about her, wondering if her parents were the same, or were they unaware? Surely they had to know, right?

You realized you had never called her from this number and quickly jumped to explain who you were, to which she gave a sweeter greeting.

"Anju isn't staying with you guys right now, is she?" You asked calmly.

There was a slight pause on the other end, "No," Her mother said with some slight concern, "Is everything alright? Isn't she home?"

"Mm- yeah, you're probably right." You chickened out, "I guess she just isn't answering her phone or something. She does like her sleep." You said trying to make the conversation lighter.

"Ah, alright then. Well, have her call me when she wakes up so I know everything is alright." Her mother's voice chimed over the speaker, concern still hiding in her tone.

"No worries, will do! Thank you Mrs. Weiskel! Have a good day!"

"You too dear,  _be safe_."

Click.

Her last words hung on you like a weight. It seemed like everywhere you turned everyone seemed to know something you didn't. You swallowed and stood up, trying to gather yourself. Where could she have gone?

Silently you tidied up her apartment and cleaned up after her cat, making sure the sweet creature was taken care of. With the animal satiated, you headed out, back to your place. The whole ride home you couldn't help but wonder of what could have happened to her.

You broke it down in your head, "Ok, if I were her... and my best friend had been taken by a faery, and I was a faery, what would I do?"

As you rolled over that train of thought, the absurdity of it all had you spinning. Would Sidon have any better answers? This whole new world that had been thrust upon you had your stomach twisting- you quickly pulled over and expelled the contents of your breakfast on the side of the road as your hand held the door frame for support.

You reached into your car and grabbed an unopened water bottle to wash the taste from your mouth. Giving a haphazard swipe to your lips, you took away the water and saliva still clinging. The shaking in your hands wouldn't stop as you climbed back into the drivers seat.

\--

"Ah! Good evening Love! How did it go?"

His enthusiasm was nice against the cymbals banging in your head. The sun had begun to set as smooth oranges and reds filtered through the clouds to the main window. The glow of his skin almost had a shimmer to it in the setting light, his features bathing in the golden rays. Watching the fae in front of you play video games against this backdrop just made the whole scene that surreal. Your heart clenched at his question though, he seemed to really want to get along with her.

"She-" You paused, feeling the words get stuck in your throat, making him get up and place his hand on your shoulder, "She wasn't there- she hasn't been there for a while... since you took me."

The space between you filled with mild tension before he spoke again, "There is no where else she could have gone?" He asked quietly.

"I already called her parents- and she doesn't have anybody else!" You could feel tears starting to form as frustration overwhelmed you, "She probably went looking for me- but where would she even start?"

Sidon looked uncomfortable as he took a deep breath, "What has your friend said of our world?"

"She didn't really tell me anything until the last time I saw her, everything I know about you guys is stuff I've either read on the internet or stuff you've told me." You explained as you plopped on the couch.

"I see," He took a slight breath, "There may be a place we can go to try and find her."

The cogs in your head immediately started turning, and one thing popped to your head from all the research you had done at the start of all this.

"The courts..." You said slowly.

Wild confusion and concern ran over his features, "I thought you said she told you nothing?"

"She didn't, but that doesn't mean the internet doesn't exist. When I went to learn more about you, I learned about not just the fae fruit, but about the two courts, Seelie and Unseelie."

You quickly realized he had no idea what the internet was either, as the confusion was only partially relieved by your answer, "And the internet is a thing humans created like 30 years ago, it's like a giant library for everything humans have done, and will ever do. And I do mean  _everything_."

Sidon nodded slowly, knowing that prying further would probably just be a waste of time for now, "So then, what do you know of the courts?"

"Not much, I know that the Seelie are supposed to be tolerant of and helpful to humans, while the Unseelie are a bunch of dicks for the hell of it." You stated firmly, but it didn't stop the smile that crept over Sidon's lips.

"You're not wrong," He started with a chuckle, sitting beside you on the couch, "It is a little more complicated than that, but that's the general way things go I suppose. And judging by you, her tastes seem to lie in the Seelie." An odd inflection came through his tone as he said the last part.

"So- you think she might be there? Looking for me?" You asked as you leaned in closer.

Sidon shifted a little, "It would be the first place I would try."

You jumped from the couch, a new fire blazing within you, "Well come on then! Let's go get her!"

"It is not that easy." He said as he stood, "I haven't been to the courts in quite a long time. I do not know if my return would warrant the warmest welcome, and surely I wouldn't want your first impression of the courts to be soured by my attendance."

"Why wouldn't you be welcomed back?" As the words left your mouth, something flashed in his eyes, was it guilt?

"I abandoned my duties." He said quietly.

"Oh. Well how long has it been?"

"A couple hundred years."

It never ceased to amaze you, the differences between the fae and humans. The creature standing before you was even older than you had imagined and that had initially let on. You tried to hide it, but you couldn't stop the complete surprise overtaking you. He seemed ageless, never would you have guessed he was really this old, the idea making you squirm a bit.

"Holy shit." You whispered, "Uh- I mean, I'm sure it's been long enough since then, I'm sure you could back now?"

"You think so?"

"Of course!"

Optimism blinded you, but Sidon knew better, knowing the true nature of the fae. Anxiety crawled over him as dreading guilt started to weigh heavy on him. Everything he had left behind, suddenly threatening his life once more. Still, he relented.

"Alright, but there are a few things that need to be done before that can happen." He said, a slight smirk pulling his lips.

\--

"I'm sorry, what the fuck is happening?"

Your voice trilled as you looked at Sidon with desperately confused eyes. He had asked you to take him to a junky area around your apartment complex, to which you obliged hesitantly. When he realized you had no clue what he was suggesting, he explained that you needed a more permanent solution for The Sight. The hair he had placed around your neck had been to easily removed, and since you invested in him, there was no reason to create a new bond- and no one could take this away from you. 

Now he stood before you with his hand out, a creature was supposedly standing on his hand, but it was invisible to you. Sidon said it was a hobgoblin, but you still failed to see what he was even talking about. Though he never explained why you needed a hobgoblin for The Sight-

"He needs to spit in your eyes."

"I'm not doing it! Why are you even helping this pathetic mortal?!" The goblin shouted, for the first time you could hear him as he shouted.

Sidon frowned and his hand turned and dropped the hobgoblin so now he had his hands clasped around the small body, forcing a yelp from the creature. His eyes were ablaze as the goblin revealed himself to you, showing a disgruntled pig nosed fae. You couldn't believe it, every new thing he showed you from his world made your head spin.

"Yeah- get a good look you f-" The goblin started, but Sidon tightened his grip and made the creature wail, "You still have some of that bite in you my Prince- the taste of blood never left your tongue-"

Again Sidon squeezed him, "You will be silent and do as I say, give her the Sight. I am taking her to the courts. Or I will find another that will."

The darkness in his tone was unfamiliar to you, making your skin crawl a little. But- what had the goblin called him, Prince? You knew he was well enough off to care for himself just fine, but royalty? Your heart was racing and your hands were getting a bit sweaty as the tension rose around the three of you.

"Ah! Damn it! Fine! Come here girl!" The creature demanded of you.

You glanced to Sidon and he nodded, urging you to come closer. Taking a couple shuffling steps, you moved up to them, putting your face in front of the goblin. You could see his tongue swishing around his mouth to build up saliva, forcing you to swallow hard with anxiety. This fae was about the hock a fucking loogie in your eyes and you were just supposed to take it.

The sound of him spitting came second to the feeling of something warm and wet hitting your eyes. You quickly blinked and rubbed your eyes, swearing as it got into your eyes and briefly made the soft tissue tingle. Once you felt you had gotten it all from your eyes, you fully opened your eyes to the scene around you.

Where you had once thought it had been the three of you, now stood a group of brownies, bogarts, and hobgoblins alike, all staring in either fear or disgust. The new sight of so many different gnarled faces made you take a step back with wobbling knees. Glittering eyes of the fae just kept their stares on you as your mind compartmentalized this whole new chapter.

"NOW LET ME GO! I DID YOUR BIDDING KELPIE!" The hob shouted, to which Sidon set him down on the ground.

"Thank you so much for your generous contribution." He said smoothly.

Your eyes were still darting around to see all the fae around you. As your vision sped about the group, you noticed a pair of shining silver eyes peering at you from a nearby tree. You squinted to get a better look, but they vanished.

"Are you alright?" Sidon placed his hand on your shoulder.

"Yeah," You said with a slight chuckle, "But you never cease to surprise me. This shit is crazy- So this means I can see fae all the time, right?"

He nodded, "Whether they like it or not."

"Fuckin' sweet."

\--

The silver eyed creature slipped through a hatch in the ground, hidden amongst the tombs of the local cemetery. A bluff that seemed to overlook your small city, the inhabitants below unaware of the hell in the hill. Who would know, beneath the dead laid a den very much alive with vicious fervor.

From the hatch, to a small service hall, to the grand hall. The small onyx haired fae moved past scenes of delicate fae intoxicated, their skin marred with old scars and fresh wounds alike. Heavy binds were unneeded as they begged for more lashes in their haze. Something the animal like creature had never indulged in, much to his benefit.

Atop all the spoils of his court sat the king of the Unseelie, His Highness of The Court Of Beasts, Ganon. His presence alone was enough to shake you, but the layers of armor and his size beneath would make any quake in their boots. Tusks rose from his bottom lip, distorting the strong features of his face. A golden shine on his armor would leave most speechless, if not for his gaze boring into anyone sorry enough to be caught within it. The silver eyed phooka climbed up the back of his chair and hung around the side to have a private audience with his king.

"My Liege, the kelpie prince has returned! And he has a human consort, they are looking for another fae," The phooka glanced down to Ganon's lap briefly, "The Changeling."

Purple tangles fell around her face as blood both old and new stained traditional fae attire. In her desperation to find you, Anju had gone to the Court of Beasts- but in her blind worry for you, she had fallen victim to the ways of the court. Now she sat upon the king's lap, her pupils as wide as dinner plates, her stance wanting. Her hands were resting against the cool metal of of his armor, taking sweet relief against the heat of her flesh.

An uproarious laugh rang out from Ganon, "It's about time! I feared I would be waiting forever to finish what we started!" His hand slapped against Anju's rear, "And with some incentive- this should prove to be quite fruitful, wouldn't you agree?"

She gave a half lidded nod as his hand cupped under her chin. Not once did she flinch when he pressed the edge of his nail against her cheek, splitting the delicate skin. Metallic viridian blood dripped from the new wound, filling the surrounding air with the smell of fresh cut grass. He took his now slick thumb and slid it over her lips as he spoke, her eyes watching him with lustful abandon.

"Tell the court to ready themselves, for the time of Beasts has come."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, so I have a few quick things I wanna pass along- but first: 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this far and leaving such lovely comments! I really do appreciate it and I look forward to your reactions everytime!! And I can promise that there is so much more to come! 
> 
> ☆ A real quick aside - If you like this story and want to quench your thirst more, this work is a crossover work with the Modern Faerie Tale series by Holly Black. I found these stories 10 years ago and I never left Faery I guess. 
> 
> [These are the first books!](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1442420200/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1mVVAbETSK6EN)
> 
>  
> 
> [And this is the newest book in the series!](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316310271/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_poVVAbBT081EQ)
> 
>  
> 
> And now- 
> 
> Some of you may have noticed that the titles of the chapters are song titles- and you would be 100% right! Music really inspires and keeps me in the zone when writing and I wanna share that with y'all! So I put together a playlist of all the songs from the story and will continue to add to it as it goes on! 
> 
> Also I'm gonna be leaving links for my Tumblr in case you wanna share fanart ♡
> 
> ** Links **
> 
> [☆ Chapter Playlist ☆](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9fMC0TUn9C3ZjwYVg8zasLzpZiE192vp)
> 
> [♤ Blog ♤](https://dominarava.tumblr.com)


	8. Golden Haze

"And you're one hundred percent positive that this is gonna be fine?"

The incredulous tone of your voice made him smirk as you eyed yourself in a full sized mirror. The intricate silver frame of the reflective glass made it look as if willowing trees were climbing up beside you, but they couldn't distract from the attire draped on your body. Even calling what you were wearing  _attire_  was a bit of a stretch.

Sidon had taken you back to his home to prep you for your first meeting of The Court, and the first thing he did was throw you in some loose fabrics laying about, helping you fashion them into a toga looking dress. It looked bad, but he swore up and down that his glamour would hide how frumpy it looked. You remained unconvinced.

"Do not worry Love, if everything happens the way I hope it does- you will be dressed in silks of colors beyond your imagining." The tone of his voice was smooth, but firm.

Of course the idea of fancy clothes was appealing and made your stomach bubble with excitement, but a heavy foreboding laid on your heart. What if things didn't go how he planned? What if you being there impeded him? It wasn't normal for the fae to bring non-tranced humans around, let alone as a lover and equal to The Court, what if they tear you apart?

Sidon noticed you had begun to nervously drill your fingers into the loose cloth and smiled warmly, "Everything will be alright. Do not worry, Small One."

"What makes you so sure?" You didn't mean to sound so nervous.

Still he kept his smile, "Because if anything does happen, I will be there to save us." He took a breath and placed his hands on your shoulders, "I know you're worried, but I can assure you this will be beneficial for both of us in the end, trust me."

"I do trust you- It's the other fae I'm not so hot on, but if you say we'll be fine- then I believe you." You finally relented.

It was easy for him to be confident, he was clad in his old upper class faery clothes sporting his elven looking visage. He was gorgeous as pools of red hair pulled into braids spilled around the deep indigo shoulders of his highly decorated tailcoat, reminiscent of the ones you had seen old war generals wearing in your history books. A sort power emanated from him as he stood behind you.

"Close your eyes." He asked gently.

You nodded and did as you were told, closing your eyes. A tingling sensation crept over you and a lingering smell of patchouli hung around your nose.

"You may open them."

As your eyes adjusted again, the frumpy cloth you wore before was not reflected back to you in the mirror. Now, a modest and lovely flowing gown of ombre blues cascaded down your form. Small gems glittered in the dim light around the bottom of the dress, but the whole sight left you in awe. It still felt like the cloth was on your body, but what was seen was not what was had.

"Ohmygod!"

"I told you you would be fine."

With a nod you turned and kissed him deeply, holding his face in your hands.

His hands met yours before pulling you away, "Your nerves are getting the better of you Love?"

"Maybe- I'm still anxious about going, ya know?" You said as kind of fidgeted with your fingers.

That warm smile returned and a chuckle graced him, "I can understand your concern, it's not every day one is introduced to the gentry of the fae, but for the thousandth time now- everything will be alright."

\--

Anytime you had pictured what The Courts looked like, what you saw now blew all of that out of the water, and you could stand there in silent awe of it all forever. Getting there was easier than you thought, the idea was dizzying though. Just a straight shot down a densely wooded path. You hadn't noticed the sky shifting to purple hues of twilight, nor the soft merry singing of pixies and cadence of their laughs.

Hanging from the trees were lanterns of glass holding glowing fae inside, as crystals hung around their light glimmering endlessly. You briefly wondered if the fae trapped inside wanted to be there at all as they kind of sat there sullenly. Sidon had mentioned you didn't have to wear your shoes here if you didn't want to, to which you immediately accepted. Now you were glad you did as the soft cool grass tickled your toes and kissed your ankles.

Sidon hadn't said much of anything on the way in. The tightness of his jaw made it clear his nerves were being torn apart as you breached the inner circle of fae. All eyes were on you- or at least you thought. Quickly as their eyes scanned you, they quickly shot to Sidon, leaving them wide eyed. Some started to cry at the sight of him.

His hand reached to yours and held it tight as the courtiers realized who was striding amongst them. And suddenly- you didn't feel the weight of their eyes like he did. You had never seen him like this, the normally calm persona he wore with this face was a thousand miles away. As they stared in awe of him, you couldn't help but notice they were all relatively eleven looking in nature. In your studies you knew there were hundreds of types of fae- so what the hell? Even Sidon who was comfortable in his kelpie form had tucked it away for the occasion.

Leading you through the closing in crowd, his grip on your hand tightened, before completely letting go and coming to a stop. In the dizzying haze of the presence of the court, you hadn't realized you were where you needed to be. A semi-circle of gorgeous fae sitting on plush pillows graced your immediate sight. Before you could even process their faces Sidon's hand was heavy against the top of your back, pushing you to curtsy.

You obeyed, curtsying a bit awkwardly in front of their shining gaze. Before you could bring your head up a scream erupted from in front of you, snapping your attention to the sound. When your eyes focused, the source of the sound was already barreling towards Sidon in a blur of red and tears. A small girl ran up to him, placing her arms around his waist as the force of her pushed them to the floor. Loud sobs echoed through the stunned silence of the gentry as she cried and clung to him.

"Mipha..."

Sidon's tone was soft as his arms wrapped around her smaller frame. The sounds of her wails made your heart break and shook the peace of the gentry. It was a jarring sight to see her go from regal fae, to screaming with raw emotion on the ground; her tears almost complimented by her jewels. Fairly quickly another fae walked up, an elven boy with spun golden hair and piercing blue eyes. His gaze caught you for only a moment before he was kneeling beside Sidon and Mipha, trying to coax her off of him as Sidon sat up. While the two tried to help her regain her composure, you let yourself survey the rest of the court.

Most sat in silent shock, hands over their mouths, tears in their eyes as if their fallen martyr had returned from the dead. You paused- is that what he is to them? With the eyes of the devout laying heavy on the scene beside you, it was as if you were never there to begin with. It was almost worse than being noticed, being so insignificant that none could give you a passing glance.

It was a bit odd watching Sidon console someone crying that wasn't you. You had had him all to yourself for so long, the feeling of now possibly sharing all his time between his duties made you bite your lip nervously. The way he thumbed over her cheeks, soothing her gently as he sat kneeling in front of her made your stomach drop as shame twitted your stomach for being jealous. Even just a little bit.

Finally the girl with the hair of blood calmed herself enough, but did not leave Sidon's side. You looked at him, but he did not return your view. Instead he looked forward to an elven woman, with golden hair similar to the boy earlier. She tried to have a stern look, but the pain hidden behind her eyes was obvious.

"You're alive." It came as a declaration over a question, the awe in her tone was palpable.

"I am-" The pause he took let emotion fill his chest, "I did not mean to make you worry as you did. I wanted to protect-"

"Protect!?" A screech cut through the air, the owner a fabulously decorated bird like fae with sweeping indigo feathers, "What can you possibly protect by running away?! For decades your sister wept for your passing! And now! Now you come back with the audacity to say you were protecting- protecting what? Mipha? The Court?" He scoffed as his feathers ruffled with irritation, jumping down his throat before another word could be uttered.

When the focus came back to Sidon, his expression was hard. He was not blind to how this looked to everyone else. For a brief moment his stare flicked to you, was this going how he planned?

"I cannot imagine the unsurmisable pain you must have felt in my absence- but you must believe me I did it with the best intentions. I knew he would not stop until he got what he desired." Sidon explained, but was cut off.

"So what brings you back now? You were right- his conquest halted, but what has changed that made you reveal yourself now?" A tall woman asked, her pointed ears high above the line the rouge strands pulled to a thick braid.

He swallowed nervously, "I fear that we may no longer have the peace we have come to rely on."

Suddenly a wave of panicked murmurs moved across the crowd. He never mentioned that before? In the time he had spoken of the battles he had been in and what he knew of now- this wasn't one.

"Where did you hear such information?" The blonde elven woman chimed in, her brow heavy with worry.

"I have a source I have relied on in my time away, from keeping an eye on you to the Beasts. I trust the information I was given, but we must act with haste if it is to be any good to us." Despite the gravity of his words, he remained as calm as ever.

In the moment of pause, you looked to the fae next to Sidon, his doppelganger if he were female. Her eyes rested on you now, surprisingly unpuffy and red from her tears only a short time ago. Nervous embarrassment climbed your neck to your cheeks as she was the only one really looking at you. The gold in her eyes reflected the same fire as Sidon's did- she knew. She didn't seem to be upset, but she knew.

In her rush to hold Sidon, you had barely seen what she was wearing. Now that you got an eye full, you could see her body dripping with silver and deep blue sapphires. Loose hairs hung around her face to frame the gilded gaze she was resting on you. Light sheer fabrics laid over her, covering her in all the important places, barely. Amongst her loosely hanging dress was a sash placed across her chest with the same crest you saw around Sidon's hole in the ground. Was this is sister?

The conversation Sidon was having with the other fae seemed to turn to white noise against a fading backdrop as you started to lose yourself in her. She seemed to float over to you, her appearance becoming more angelic the longer you looked upon her. No one noticed her as she moved and cupped your face in her palms. She felt like him. The gentle grasp of her fingers brought you to the same place his did. That sweet warmth of his magic you thought was unique to him. You remembered Sidon had whispered her name.

Before the words could leave your lips, a deep burning spread over shoulders and thighs. The pain seemed far away, but you winced as the scars on your body that had once been hidden under glamour now glowed a dim blue. You could have sworn she said something, but her lips moved soundlessly. Still her face remained gentle in the peaceful chaos of your mind.

Her name was-

Slowly, sweetly it slipped from your lips-

"Mipha!"

His voice sliced through the two of you. Her hands remained on your face, but the burn ceased and her glow faded. The smile on her face could comfort and chill as you gripped reality by Sidon's hand. Around the fae had been watching this like a soap opera, waiting to see what would happen.

You looked up to see his hand firmly on her shoulder, but she spoke first, "Who is your friend?"

"This is my consort-" He paused, meeting your gaze before he said your name.

More hushed whispers whirled around the space.

Mipha's hands slipped from your cheeks, "And what of Tona?"

"Tona..." The word seemed like a curse leaving his tongue.

The elven woman waved her hand, "We can speak about such intimacies later- Sidon, with this revelation, will you be rejoining The Court?"

"I will-"

"And if what you're saying is true, then we should begin our preparations as soon as possible." She continued, cutting him off, to which he nodded, "For now though, I can imagine you would want to return to your home, since it has been ages."

The air around you had changed once again with dizzying speed, her shifting of voice to that of a steady leader making everything seem calm again. Another type of glamour?

"Wait!" You called, still clearing the fog from your mind and garnering the attention of the court, making Sidon take a sharp breath and snap his gaze to you.

"I'm also looking for my friend! Her mundane name is Anju Weiskel! And she has purple curly hair and tan skin and about yea big- she's been missing for a week now and I-" As your words faltered pain filled your chest, "I just need to know if she came through here... she's very important to me."

You felt the burn of tears wanting to come, but you blinked the urge away. The fae before shifted, like they already have an answer to your question.

"How should we know where your friend is? We are not all knowing, you know." The woman you had come to know as Zelda said, her tone sweet with the harsh words.

"Because she is one of you- a changeling! She never told me anything about your world, but from what I know about her and the courts- Anju is a good person. She wouldn't be part of the Unseelie." You were almost pleading to them.

Sidon's hand was placed on your shoulder, but it didn't stifle the fire in your belly. Maybe they didn't know what her human glamour looked like? You tried hard to think of how she looked in those brief moments her glamour slipped. The way her eyes changed, the void they became made your heart go cold. Her blue skin making her seem like a half dead doll under the sheer of her magic.

"She was fucking blue! With black eyes! Like obsidian!" You snapped.

"That doesn't lend much to your cause." Zelda said softly.

In a confused pause, your head turned as something shifted from the corner of your eye. As your eyes swept over the fae, the prim and proper clean looks to them had faded. Skin of all colors littered the area, eyes like voids, and others like galaxies contained. Snickers and whispers moved around you again as they were obviously poking fun at you.

Looking back to Zelda you spoke again, "Look, I know I'm not giving much to go on-"

"A name."

"Pardon?"

Her face remained composed, "If you gave me her name. I might be able to help."

"I told you her name- It Anju Andreanna Weiskel!"

"Her true name. If you are truly as close to her as you say, then finding out this much should not be a challenge." Her voice cut you.

You knew you weren't going to get any farther with her arguing like this, and no one else was speaking up. With a hard gaze on the gentry, you noticed something about all of them. They all had the same sashes like Mipha's around them in some fashion or another with their own crests. You knew figured it had to do with their position, but if that was the case, why was Sidon bare? Wasn't he on their level of rank?

In the brief moment you had caught someone staring at you. A large fae, with arms that could challenge a tree trunk and a gut that could break through steel. His white hair was pulled behind him, holding it away from the watchful view he had on you. His gaze didn't make you feel unease though, rather, they called for a moment to speak. He might know about Anju, the idea sunk in and you took a deep breath.

"Alright. I'll find out her name. But you better tell me! I don't want any tricks or bullshit."

With that Sidon squeezed your shoulder nervously and spoke up himself, "Thank you for your help Your Eminence. I look forward to planning our victory." He said with his usual pepped tone.

Zelda smiled, "You would do well to help your new consort learn about the traditions of our people. I hope she succeeds in her mission."

Sidon said nothing to that and turned to take your hand, threading his fingers with yours. Mipha joined suit and stood beside you before smiling sweetly, she was harder to read than one would first think- it made your stomach churn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your lovely comments and for sticking around for these long pauses between chapters! I'm so happy to get this posted and I hope yall enjoy!
> 
> ** Links **
> 
> [☆ Chapter Playlist ☆](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9fMC0TUn9C3ZjwYVg8zasLzpZiE192vp)
> 
> [♤ Blog ♤](https://dominarava.tumblr.com)


	9. One Percent

Nothing could have really prepared you for the sight of their estate. Tucked behind the droves of dense redwoods, their home sat cliffside against the tipping ocean. It was off though. With Mipha left to the estate it had been kept up, but only the main house. The gardens and features that once decorated the grounds now stood overgrown and decaying. Large marble statues left to the elements over centuries had new clothes of vines and moss as pieces of them lay nearby in the soft soil.

They hadn't really spoken much on the way in, side from Sidon asking how you were doing and making light remarks about the fae to you. His attempts to keep you engaged in what was going on were not lost on you, but it felt almost forced in the wake of such an odd development. Mipha refrained from speaking much either beyond a few words in agreement on little remarks.

Large double doors sat at the entrance of the home. Intricate carvings of sharks and other sea life tangled with kelp were laid into a dark wood. The ghostly carry of the fabric hanging over Mipha trailed behind her as she pushed open the front door and silently stepped inside. He let you step in first in front of him.

The scent of a fire rolled into your senses first, then a floating aroma of sweet flowers followed. Inside was so much cleaner and nicer looking than the outside. Most of the place was decorated in different complimenting shades of blues, greens, and whites. The furniture looked as if the last time it had been updated was two or three hundred years ago, everything still in surprisingly good shape. For a moment you wondered if his room had been left untouched for the same amount of time.

"Welcome home, brother." The weight of her words feeling as if they had been sitting there from the day he left.

"Thank you- will we be joining you for dinner?" Sidon asked gently.

She nodded, "Yes, the girls are preparing now as we speak, I will have them prepare more though."

"The girls..." Sidon started, but trailed to silence as a figure came walking down the hall.

A girl, with loose brunette braids was making her way to Mipha with a box in her hands. At first not much seemed off, but then you realized- she was not one of them. She's human. Her frame swayed a little and the hollow look in her eyes chilled you. With willowed fingers the girl opened the box and let Mipha put her jeweled headpiece into it before quickly whisking it away back into one of the many doorways.

"I thought we did away with them." Sidon said with a harsher tone than you were ready for.

"You have to believe me, I tried dear brother. The ones I could heal and spare their minds, I did. Unfortunately, there were a couple that I could not save- and I could not bring myself to dispose of them." She sounded sincere to you, but as you looked up to Sidon he didn't seem to share your thoughts.

His face went soft with a deep breath, "You should know better, who is the wiser here, hmn?"

She nodded and sighed gently, "Dinner will be ready shortly."

A gentle brush of his hand against your back made you look back up at him, "Let's head to my room, shall we?"

Silently nodding, you followed behind him up a small flight of stairs, swinging a left, and stopping at a door at the end of the hall. A tall round-top door stopped the two of you as he reached into his pocket, pulling a small golden skeleton key. An audible breath could be heard from him as he took pause with the key in the lock, before twisting it in place. The tumblers and mechanism made a soft clicking noise, letting him lean on the heavy door to open.

Sidon let you step inside first, allowing the first thing to hit your nose the smell of dank air and aged wood. You could hear him shutting the door behind you two as you made your way to some curtains with dim light peeking through. Even though the room hadn't been touched in a couple centuries, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere; you wondered if it was their magick. With a great push to throw open the heavy curtains to show the doors to the balcony overlooking the ocean. When you first arrived on the property you knew it was close the the cliffside, but as you opened the double glass doors it was very clear their home was built into the cliffside.

Gusts of the salty sea air blew past as you walked up to the railing. Looking down you could see lanterns lighting the different balconies of the house as they climbed down the cliffside, and the small stone dock at the water's edge waiting to be occupied. The soft hue of the blue lights was nice, but the warm flicker of lanterns from the bedroom caught your eye. Turning around to see him, he was already walking toward you, his arms wide and a big grin on his lips.

Before you could say anything he had you scooped in his arms, kissing your face and smiling endlessly, "I am so sorry Love, I know that was overwhelming, but you handled it with such grace! I am terribly sorry I did keep you in the dark a bit, but I wanted your performance to be as flawless as possible and you were! I'm so proud!" The pure joy in his voice unmistakable.

It was so nice to finally see his mood change from the sullen mask he had been wearing recently, "I'm glad I did a good job- but that was honestly one of the weirdest experiences I've ever been through." You chuckled lightly, "You're sure that was fine, even though I bugged them about Anju?"

He set you back down on the ground, but kept your face in his hands, thumbing over your cheeks as he spoke, "I promise, you did very well. As for your inquiry about Anju, I do not blame you, and what's done is done. And from now on I will do a better job of preparing you for such gatherings, but I needed them to think you were a bit more naive than you are-"

"Yeah speaking of that-" You cut him off, "Who is Tona? And what the hell is wrong those girls your sister is keeping around the house?"

His hands pulled from your face as he looked embarrassed, "I want to be honest with you. You've come this far with me, and if I want you to come farther, I know I must be completely open with you."

You couldn't help but let your eyebrow raise in curiosity and a smile on your lips, "Jeeze make it sound so dramatic."

"She was my betrothed. I left with no closure because I was allowing everyone to think I had perished." He started.

"You didn't even tell your fiance you were gonna fake your death? Pretty lame of you." You poked him with a smirk.

"I'm surprised you're taking this so lightly?"

"This happened like three hundred years ago? There isn't much I can do about it except have some sort of sense of humor- ya know, why did you fake your death?"

"You really asking the tough questions, aren't you?" He said with a nervous chuckle.

"Are they? I don't mean to pry, but you've kinda dumped a lot of new shit on me that I would have liked to have known before I followed you all the way into  _Fairyland_." Your tone was a bit hard, but still mildly playful.

Before he could reply, there was a soft knock on the door. Both of you went dead silent before he went and opened it. In the doorway stood one of the hollow looking girls holding a box. Sidon took the package from her, thanking her quietly before closing the door once more.

He turned back to you, "Its for you."

Taking the box over to the bed, you picked off a notecard that had your name scrawled in a lovely script. Flipping it over you realized there was more on the back written in silver ink, glittering dimly with the lanterns.

> _Inside I have prepared for you a few dresses of my own. We seem to be similar in size, so I hope they fit. They are new garments, and I would be grateful if you wore one, not the glamoured drapes my brother has you in._

You chuckled at the note on the back and opened the box. The first dress on top was a soft lavender piece with little sparkles of three large silver moons around the waist, the fabric was soft and light, almost like a summer dress.

Sidon moved up behind you, "My sister sent you some clothes?" He asked curiously sitting on the edge of the bed next to where you setting out the dresses.

"Yeah," You laughed, "Because she can see through your glamour."

To that he blushed and grinned sheepishly, "If anyone, it would be her."

Continuing to pull out the clothes the next outfit you pulled out was a two piece set with a pastel green cropped flowing top with lantern sleeves and fine silver chains dripping around the arms and shoulders. To go with it was a more like a pair of shorts with several layers of sheer fabric to make a skirt and more of the silver chains with little emerald marbles randomly on the string.

Honestly you couldn't believe how nice the fabric felt, and if this was how all the clothes were going to be, you couldn't help the bit of giddiness that bubbled in you. You had had nice things before and all that, but the quality of each garment left you speechless. It kind of blew you away that she was giving you such lovely outfits without even knowing you really, but the offer was greatly appreciated as the cloth Sidon had wrapped you in at the beginning of the day had outlived its usefulness.

Finally the last dress was a short airy indigo ombre that faded to a light blue. Embedded in the cloth was more tiny jewels dancing around the bottom hem in the light. You held it up to you, knowing it was going to be on the shorter side, but it seemed like the most comfortable. It was like the one Sidon had glamoured everyone to see, so much so it made you chuckle a little at how similar their tastes were. 

At the bottom of the box there was a pair of white lace flats, simple, but flattering to all the outfits she had given you, and another smaller box. You picked up the smaller wooden box resting inside and opened it carefully, wondering what else she could have put inside. A medium size sapphire sat in the middle on a small prop, as a beautifully interwoven silver chain pooled around it.

"It seems she was very generous in her gifts, she is trying to make you feel welcome." He said softly.

"They are nice- like- the nicest things I've ever held?"

"Which one will you wear?" Once more his tone was light as he got up and started rummaging through his wardrobe.

You were already changing into the short blue ombre dress, quickly slipping on the flats and putting the necklace on last. Stepping over to a tall mirror against the wall, you looked stunning, albeit your hair being a little messed up. The jewels along the hem stood out and almost made it look like they were floating around you, rather than being on the fabric.

"You look incredible." Sidon murmured as he moved up behind you while you did your hair in front of a tall mirror.

Heat filled your cheeks at his compliment and his hands moved around your hips, "If this is what I'm gonna be wearing all the time, I could get used to this. Everything is so nice, I'm speechless."

"I'm glad you are enjoying our hospitality, I was worried you might find all of this to be too much." He spoke quietly, leaning closer to your ear as some of his loose hair slipped over his shoulder.

You turned to face him, "Don't get me wrong, this is _a lot_. Everything you've shown me so far has been kinda mind blowing, but I really like spending time with you- and this is pretty exciting if nothing else." A slight chuckle leaving you.

He chuckled as well, "Well then I'm pleased you are taking this in stride."

"Hey-"

"Hmn?"

"How come since we've gotten here, you've been looking like a person?"

His eyebrow raised briefly, "Looking like a person-? Ah! Yes-" Sidon paused for a moment, "Its the way of the court, a long time ago someone decided that we looked more civilized like this- from then on it's just how things have been done."

"Is it uncomfortable? To stay like that?"

"After so long of not having to worry about it, it is rather uncomfortable to stay like this for extended times."

You smirked and placed your hands on his chest, "Well maybe after dinner we can release the beast."

"Hm-? Oh! Right~ Of course, if that is what you desire~" His hands moved down your back and over your hips.

Before you could answer, there was another soft knock on the door. In your excitement, having you so close had his blood pumping, leaving a noticeable bulge in his pants. You glanced down and back up to him still keeping your smirk, "I got it."

It was the girl with loose braids again, this time she beckoned you to the main dining hall to join Mipha for dinner. The unease that crawled over you whenever you looked at her almost made you sick to your stomach. She didn't seem to be in pain or suffering, but the unnatural glaze in her stare shook you. You began to wonder if there was anything you could do for her.

\--

Hunger that once pained your gut now sat satisfied, much to your pleasure. As you descended the stairs to the main dining hall with Sidon, you feared she would have prepared only food the fae could really enjoy. Much to your surprise though the spread had been full of familiar and not so familiar treats and dishes. Roasted meats with colorful vegetables and beautiful garnishes covered the table.

But the amazing spread of food couldn't completely avert your attention from the room everything was in. A window that took up the entire wall in the cliffside overlooked the ocean and the twinkling night sky as the moonlight danced on the water. Of course there was a large balcony that ran the length of the wall, with a door or two open to let the cool breeze bring life into the hall. The mixing warmth of the smell of the food and the crisp salty air brushing in around the unique glittering chandeliers made your heart sing with content.

"I hope you're hungry." You remembered the sweetness in her tone and the gentle smile gracing her lips.

The two of you had been rather famished as both of you went to town on near everything she had out. Little conversation was had between them at the table you all sat around on large cushions, beyond light comments about the food. Mipha just seemed to be happy her brother was home, and you didn't really blame her.

"I'm glad you wore one of the dresses I sent you, it looks very nice on you."

You were beginning to enjoy her company the longer you spent with her, "Thank you, they were all so lovely it was hard to decide!"

"You would have been stunning no matter what you choose Love." Sidon chimed with a smile as he watched you with loving eyes.

This was really the first time you had seen Sidon so comfortable though. He had been smiling and talking to you with excited fervor, while Mipha sat quietly and enjoyed his presence for the first time in centuries. Toward the end of the meal the rift between them seemed to close as they began to pick up conversations with one another. For the first time in a while the warmth in the room had you feeling safe and relaxed as you leaned into Sidon.

After the two of them spoke of many little things that had happened among the courts in his time away, he placed his hand on your thigh and rubbed it gently as he spoke to Mipha, "Even though I have throughly enjoyed catching up with you, I think it is time we retire to our room."

Mipha agreed and smiled as she said her good nights, leaving you two to head back up the stairs. On the way up it was hard for Sidon to really keep his hands off you; wandering fingers and firm gropes making your heart pound.

The door swung open as he carried you in his arms kissing you deeply with your legs wrapped tightly around his waist. Fingers tangled in your hair as he laid you down on the bed, his weight staying above you as he rubbed his clothed cock against the thin fabric of your underwear. Sweetly his lips moved all across your neck and face as he showered you in affection.

He kept you like this for a while as he rubbed and teased the two of you behind the cloth of your garments. Oh how you knew you were going to be falling apart with desire by the time he actually got to the main event. Slowly peeling the clothing from his frame, he knew he was teasing you more as your eyes swooped over the muscles pulled tight under his skin from the rock of his hips. Stray strands of hair fell loose around his face as he finally slipped his cock from his pants and pulled the panties from your waist.

Brushing heat from him made you gasp softly while he rubbed himself between your slick folds. You began to notice the longer this went on, the more he was letting himself go. The sharp of his teeth had come back and the empty slits that once rested in his vision once again split the gold in his gaze. He caught you eyeing him and helped you shimmy out of your dress before letting his hands moved back to your waist. Gripping onto your hips, the feel of his claws coming back couldn't be ignored either as you gasped from the piercing pain now.

As he leaned down low against your body, his hand moved to cover your eyes, "Are you ready?"

A nod made your answer clear as he sat up and let himself revert back to his kelpie form. The cool temperature that moved over his skin as he changed made goosebumps prick your skin with giddy delight. When he moved his hand again, you were treated to him in all his glory. With his two hard members resting between your legs and the bright red of his skin taking the most of your attention. He was always so big compared to you.

"You truly are a naughty little human, to love me like this-" He leaned back down again, his cool belly laying against yours, "It pleases me to know you will happily take me as I am." He said against your ear, making chills run down your spine.

"Of course I do-" You started with a smile, "I love you."

With that you could see a fire stoked in his gaze as he looked down upon you before diving into you with kisses, "I love you too darling, you're so good to me..." He said between passes of his lips against your skin.

Feeling one of his heads pressing into you made your stomach flip as his tongue slipped from his mouth and over the sensitive flesh of your perked nipples. It didn't take much for him to get lost in loving you. His hands sailed over your body with a firm touch while he pushed himself slowly into you, earning a quiet groan as your walls hugged him tightly. Heat filled the two of you as he craned over you to keep kissing you deeply and he sinking himself to hilt.

Soft praises and groans echoed from his lips as he moved slowly, savoring the way your body clung to him. Gripping your legs, he held your thighs under your knees and pushed them up to give himself better leverage before thrusting his hips a bit faster now. The sudden feeling of him filling you up just left you a mess as you moaned and called his name as your hands reach out to touch him as much as you could.

You weren't sure how long you laid there as he took his time with you, caressing every inch of your body as his groans filled your head. It felt like you were in heaven as the cool silk from his bed and heat of him wrapped you in bliss. Feeling his hand nudge your hip, you looked up at him before he helped you onto your hands and knees without a word. No moment was wasted as quickly pushed himself back into you, harder with a faster thrust as he kissed your shoulders.

"May I?" The weight of his voice made you shiver as you knew the intent of his words.

Still you nodded.

Opening his mouth to fit the tender flesh of your shoulder, you could see the glint of his teeth before unrelenting pain and pleasure mixed with you in sweet harmony. Your head became light and your legs shook as his pushes became more feverish. You knew he was using his magick on you as your head began to swim in a haze and your climax was coming closer and closer.

Suddenly his pace changed, to slow, hard, deep thrusts, making your head spin as he pressed against your cervix over and over. The twisting pleasure from the deep sensation made you start crying out his name, letting it echo as loud as you could.

"You sound so lovely... calling my name like that." He said, letting his hand move down your stomach and between your legs to rub the swollen bud waiting there for him, "I'm so close Love... I'm going to fill you up~"

He was just too much for you. The feeling of your orgasm came hard as he spoke dirty words into your ear. Your walls gripped him as you came around his cock, making him come over the edge with you. You knew it had been a long moment since your last real intimate encounter, but you hadn't realized how pent up he had been as he moaned with his climax. The sudden feel of his hot seed filled you and spilled out from his movements keeping his orgasm going as long as he could.

Cool air from the cracked balcony door swept in over the heat of your bodies as you laid there next to one another in your lingering bliss after he collapsed beside you. The feeling of his seed dripping from you kept your cheeks hot as his arm closed around you and pulled you in close to him. It was nice to be like this with him again after all the nonsense you had gone through recently with learning of The Courts.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" He asked softly.

"I always do~" You replied with a smile, leaning to get a good look at his face before kissing him deeply, "I love you."

Tenderness held his eyes on you as he spoke in the same tone, "I love you too- and thank you- for not treating me like a monster."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	10. If I'm- Then You're-

_Don't leave me here..._

_Don't you know how much I need you..._

_Don't let me-_

Your eyes snapped open to the sound of faint crashing waves as you woke in a cold sweat. The sound of her voice was too near for it to be fake, and yet- you sat in Sidon's empty chambers. Raking your fingers through your hair and rubbing your eyes to shake the sleep from them you tried to get a grasp on trying to calm down. There was no way she was here. 

Silently falling back to the silky sheets that graced his bed, you just stared up at the ceiling. How long had she been gone now? How was she holding up- if at all? Was she even still- No. You stopped that train of thought. She was alive. She was a fighter- there wasn't a chance she would fold to some bullshit faeries. But worry still tore at the back of your mind. 

Swinging your feet off the side of the bed and placing them onto the cool wood helped to move you along from those thoughts. Just as you stood a breeze blew in, making you keenly aware that you, in fact, had no clothes beyond the dresses she had given you the night before. Or- that was until you spotted another box with your name written in the same silver script. 

You rushed over to the box and peeled the lid off quickly, not taking time to read the card first. The first thing that caught your eyes was the lovely deep rich blue color that dyed the silk of the garment. It was similar to the one Mipha normally wore, if only a bit more modest for you as more fabric hung around the waist of it. She also included another pair of shoes, well, you hesitated to actually call them shoes. What you held in your hand were more like barefoot sandals made of silver chains with small bells that sat decorating your feet. Still, you felt a bit embarrassed by how showy all of it was. Reaching for the card, you knew it was going to be in her script again.

> _I thought you might like to wear some traditional garb. If you need anything else just ask._

The gesture was nice, and seeing as how you didn't have anything else really, a welcomed one. But you still needed to shower. You took a quick look around the room, seeing a door that you knew wasn't a closet. Grabbing your box you walked over to the door, turning the antique knob, and leaning on the heavy wood. The door had swollen with the moisture of age as it caught in the frame and made a loud noise. That couldn't distract you from the breathtaking view of the bathroom that opened up before you. 

The cerulean glass tiles that covered the walls gave in to the glittering silver fixtures that littered the room. Across from you sat a deep pool parked beside another large window overlooking the forest outside. As your eyes panned around the room, three large waterfall showerheads surprised you as they all directed down into the pool. Everything had been done in deep blues and silvers, instantly throwing you into the depths of the ocean.

There was some fresh water puddles in the empty shallow pool, as if someone had showered not that long ago. You figured Sidon had beaten you here and was already getting back to his normal duties. Setting your things down on a small silver wire rack, you sat on the edge of the pool and reached for the faucet, hoping the shower heads weren't angled to get you soaked. 

A couple of dishes of creamy and gel looking soaps sat along the edges of the large bathing tub- or at least you figured they were soap. The quiet meditation of washing yourself against the backdrop of the reaching pines gave you peace you didn't realize you'd been missing. As you got lost in your thoughts, you let Sidon run through your mind- where did he get off to anyway? 

\-- 

You sounded like a damn housecat as your feet hit the smooth marble floor of the main hall. The fabric of traditional outfit Mipha had given you was almost floating around you as you moved, the threads acting as if they were lighter than air as you walked. Though, nothing could distract anyone from the soft sound of the bells on your feet jingling with every step. 

Looking around the empty main top floor of their estate made you wonder if it had always been this quiet here, it was almost spooky. You were a bit more wrapped up in your mind than you thought as one the maids had silently made her way up behind you and tapped your shoulder. You snapped around almost jumping out of your skin, but she didn't flinch. There was just something about them that absolutely made your skin crawl. 

"Lady Mipha has requested a brief audience with you." She uttered delicately. 

"Uh- ok, sure." 

She gave a short nod before saying, "Please, follow me." 

Even more silence filled the air between you two as she lead you down the winding staircase to the docks. By the time you got to the heavy wooden door that lead to the outside, the hallway around you had shrunk considerably, leaving you wondering when that had even happened. It looked like it took all of her weight to push the entry open against the ocean wind. 

The salty air that rushed around you sent a slight chill through your bones. Greeting you was the mouth of a large cave that had docks on either side running a short distance inside. Carved stoned pushed against your foot as you stepped out of the doorway, following her as she lead you to the back of the cave. Bringing you to a small opening at the back of the shallow cave, she slipped in and motioned for you to do the same, to which you hesitantly followed. 

"You said Mipha is down here?" You asked quietly. 

She didn't reply as she turned a sharp corner, leaving you in the tight dank space to follow. Your hands pushed past the cold stone and around the same corner only to be welcomed to a large dome shaped room, with a large glowing pool sitting dead center. Across the walls more of those soft blue lights you had seen outside littered them, casting an enchanting azure hue upon you. Along the edge of the pool was a wide platform carved out of the earth, being a home to a couple desks covered with different bottles with aquatic oddities and a large stone bed. Stairs lead down to the water where Mipha was sitting on a small platform at the bottom of them. 

"Mi-" You started, but the maiden snapped her hand to your mouth, the chill of her fingers forcing you to shiver. She placed her other index finger to her mouth in hushing manner. 

The blue glow you has seen earlier around her hands was now completely up her arms as she held a badly wounded octopus. Their tentacles feebly wrapped up her wrists, clinging to the last chance it had. Her features were twisted with concentration as the animal took on her blue glow, brightest where her thumbs clutched against it's delicate flesh. To her, it was like the two of you weren't even in the room. 

Even though it felt like ages to you, after a few minutes she set the animal back into the pool of water, her glow dissipating. As the blue light slipped from the octopus, and her fingers released it, you noticed two small blue rings where her thumbs had been. The new blue rings emitted a softer hue as it completely released her and slipped away into the pool, all its wounds now healed. In that moment, some things were starting to fall into place in your mind. 

Finishing her healing she took a deep breath to ground, but you shook the silence, "So, you were the one that gave him that healing salve..." You said quietly. 

There was no shock, no surprise on her face as her gaze turned on you, "I suppose you're right." 

"Suppose? Do you not keep track of who you give that shit to?" 

She started up the stairs, taking a towel her maid was holding for her and drying her hands, "This isn't what I wanted to speak about when I asked for her to summon you." 

"Yeah- Well- it's what I wanna talk about." 

She sat at a desk near you and took a deep breath, "At first I was unaware that my brother was the one purchasing the salve from me, but it was odd because my salve was not something that most knew of. My suspicion grew when the _Phooka_ he sent me let something slip. I do suppose somewhere in my heart I wanted to believe it was him, but- when I saw you- I could smell my magick all over you. And thus my suspicions proved to be true." 

You took in what she was saying slowly. It was still kind of surprising to you that would let such a thing happen so freely? The fae truly were another type all of their own. But her answer was satisfactory for the time being. 

"Ok, so what _did_ you want to talk about then?" You asked a bit more calmly. 

She finished messing with whatever papers she was dealing with on the desk before standing, leading you slowly back over to the pool where she had just finished healing, "I wish to speak about my brother." She said quietly. 

"I'll try and tell you as much as I can, but there is still stuff I don't know about him, and the longer I stay here, the more I find out how little I really know." You said as you followed suit in sitting down on the platform she was on when you entered the space 

She smiled warmly, "How did my brother find you?" 

You took a deep breath, "It wasn't so much as how he found me, more over how I found him. He called out to me one night after my car broke down on the highway. Honestly it was a kind of random event." 

"What you may see as a random occurrence, was probably a planned choice on his end. Before he brought you here, did you consume any of our food?" 

You nodded, "Yeah, just once I think. maybe twice. But he was really careful and worried about me eating it?" 

"And- when he- bit you- did he tell you where the salve came from?" 

"No," You answered with a slight shake of your head, "He just told me it was a healing goop from a powerful water spirit. Not like he was really lying about that though." You paused, "Why do you think that him calling to me wasn't random?" 

Mipha kept her serene smile, "There are some mortals who a natural affinity for magic, for centuries your kind has had many names for them, but most common was _witch_. When a mortal has that natural calling for magic, it is made very clear to the folk. Depending on the power behind your hand, it may be a beacon spanning miles. But- it wasn't by chance. He smelled the power on you." 

A lump formed in your throat as you tried to find the words to speak, "You think I'm a witch?" 

She shook her head, "I know you're a witch." 

"How?" You didn't mean for it to sound like a strained whisper.

"Here, place your hands in the water." Mipha directed before taking your hands and guiding them into the water, forcing you to lean over the body of ocean flowing in. 

You did as you were told before she continued. "Now close your eyes, take slow deep breaths in through your nose and out your mouth, and from deep within the core of your being, wherever that may be, and I want you to picture a swirling energy there. When you have it, I want you to think about that energy flowing to your hands, down to the tips of your fingers. Feel that energy slipping from your hands and around them like a glove, joining with the cool water." 

Following her instructions, you kept your breathing level. In the depths of your chest you had reached in and found the almost stagnate ball of energy within you come to life. The sweet feel of the flowing magic moving over your arms left you with a sense of pure calm at the sound of her voice gently guiding you. It felt as if the magic gloves she had asked you to put on were really there as you kept your eyes closed waiting for her next instruction. 

"Now as those gloves reach your elbows, I want you to open your eyes." She said sweetly. 

You were almost afraid to look, but you let your eyes peek open slowly to the scene below. Ebbing around your arms now was the bright blue glowing water you had seen Mipha wearing for the octopus, shock and awe taking ahold of you. Never before had you ever seen or experienced such an amazing thing, tears almost begged to roll down your cheeks with the pure excitement flooding through you. 

It was very clear that Mipha could;d see the range of emotions running through your head as you lifted your hands from the water. She almost found it a bit funny the way you were inspecting your arms, as if this was the time you had ever seen them as the turquoise radiant water hummed around your frame. Pure joy and childlike wonder filled your eyes as your attention turned back to her sitting there just as peaceful as ever before she spoke again. 

"My brother may have charisma and kindness on his belt, but make no mistake- _he is no fool._ " 

\-- 

The last thing Mipha stressed to you was still buzzing around your head as you climbed back up the stairs through the estate. When you asked if she knew where he was after her healing lesson with you, she mentioned that he had left for the training grounds earlier that morning. She expressed how unsure she was anything was even possible there as she had let the grounds fall into disrepair with his absence.

Winding stones in an old path lead you away from the estate into the thick of the woods. Normally being so deep in the forest would have anyone's skin crawling with fear of the fae or worse coming for them. Now having the ability to walk freely among them in their home with little fear was freeing in a way. Every so often you would catch your foot slipping on one the most covered stones, truly showing how long it had been since anyone had used the path. 

The first thing you could hear was the sound of clinking metal and uproarious cheers. Letting your feet fall into a jog, you tried to get the source as fast as possible. Only when you found it, did the scene really come from some sort of fantasy. 

Standing around a large craved stone sparring area was a group of fae large enough to make anyone with social anxiety sweat uncontrollably. Fey of all sizes stood cheering around the two fighters in the middle of chaos. Seeing all of them dressed to the nines in their different types of armor made you feel a little undressed for the occasion in the kind of revealing traditional dress Mipha had given you. 

The only thing that really mattered though was finding Sidon as you began to wade through the crowd. Different reactions were had as you pushed around the folk big and small. Some let you pass with ease, while other gave a snort and a possible push back to your advances through the group. Only when you had finally pushed yourself to the front did you realize the object of your search was there as the center of attention. 

Holding beautiful form you watched in awe as he seemingly danced around his opponent in the ring. The sounds of strained grunts and crashing metal filled the air as you watched Sidon move flawlessly. His hair whipped and floated around his as he maneuvered well in his more human looking form, following the looks of most of the rest of the fae around you. You wondered if he even realized you were there as he battled without a care. 

When Sidon had managed to disarm his sparring partner the whole crowd broke into an uproarious celebration. The sudden excitement left them to jump and move about, shuffling you around in the mess of them as well. But before you could get totally swept away, you hopped over the barrier separating the crowd to the sparring warriors, quickly making your way up to Sidon's side. The way his eyes lit up when you came into his view could have made your heart melt. 

"My Love!" He shouted with excited glee as he sheathed his blade and picked you up to swung you around, "Did you see the fight?" 

You giggled with overwhelming giddiness from being picked up and swung about, "Yes of course I did, you were amazing!" 

As your public display of affection played out in front of the other fae, a rang of emotions made their way across the faces of those watching. At the worst, you could find disgust written on their faces at Sidon's sickeningly tenderness with you. The way his mildly clawed hand brushed the strands of flowing hair around your face made you blush, as if to say to ignore those stares of malice and focus on the love of him. It was almost surprising that one of them approached him with a big smile, but you quickly recognized him as the large fellow from the council meeting from before. 

"Yeah, the big guy hasn't lost his touch." The robust fae said as he slapped Sidon's back with a hearty laugh, "And my you look nice in their clothes." He directed to you. 

Sweet bashfulness burned your cheeks at his compliment, before you gave him a sincere thank you before Sidon jumped back into the conversation, "You do ravishing in that," He said before kissing your neck, still keeping you up in his arms, "I'm glad you wore it." 

Giving a side eye to everyone watching, you looked back to him, "You might be one of the few that feel that way." 

"Don't worry Love," He said in a low tone, "The folk have always been known to be a bit stubborn. It will take some time, but they'll come around to you, I'm sure." 

He let you slip from his grasp and carefully set your feet onto the cool stone ground beneath you. The fae you had come to know as Daruk stayed hovering about you as you and Sidon moved around the fae while others took up sparring and relative normalcy came back over them. Ever since the meeting though there was something about him that wouldn't leave you. Like there was something to tell you that he couldn't find the time. 

Before you could really investigate those feelings any deep, a fae dressed in very well kept armor approached you and Sidon, kneeling before the royalty with a hand over their heart. 

"My Lord- far too long you had left us to fight without the heart of our commander-" The fae stood with a big smile gracing his lips, showing a sharp smile similar to Sidon's in his more mundane form, "Finally it is good to have fresh blood back on the training grounds and the wisdom of our most trusted leader to bring us to victory." 

The male that stood before the two of you was almost as tall as Sidon was, but with pitch black hair and even paler skin, you figured he was another like kelpie. It took you back a little when you saw Sidon's arms wrap around the male in an instant, bringing him to a tight embrace before releasing him again, keeping their hands braced around each other forearms to stay close. 

"Bazz! The goddess herself couldn't hold me back from returning to my place here with my people- ah and this is my consort!" Sidon said before gesturing to you with open arms standing beside you and properly introducing you. 

The dark haired fae smiled warmly and knelt down in front of you, taking your hand in his, "Any Love of the commander is a Love of mine, if there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to ask." He said before placing a kiss on your hand. 

A deep burn tickled your cheeks as he kissed your hand, forcing you to look at Sidon who stood there with a slightly irritated smirk, "Sorry my friend, she isn't like the others- as the only company she'll be sharing is my own." 

Wait- what.

Bazz laughed and playfully punched Sidon's arm, "Awh no fair- you finally come back- with a lovely little snack on your arm nonetheless- and I can't have a taste? Your right hand? Oh how being with the mortals has made you so mundane." He teased. 

"It may have, but she is worth it." He stated with a slight smile as he looked back down at you. 

Bazz's view shifted from Sidon to you, "Then I should give you praise, taming the beast isn't a simple feat." 

Before you could question what he meant, more fae trickled over to share in their greetings of their commander returning home. It was amazing though as you looked around. You had imagined the training grounds looked similar to the disrepair of the way leading to the estate, but as you looked over the area, it was as if no time had touched it at all. No ivy crawled over the rocks and there wasn't an ounce of dust or cobwebs hanging about. As if by miracle over night, the court had come to life once again in the wake of its prince. 

As the day continued, the two of you spent time meeting with almost every one of his old brothers in arms as they went down tearful memories and joyous celebrations. The whole thing was so surreal, as you never really thought that you would ever be on the arm of a prince while doing all this. 

It was kinda overwhelming honestly. 

The way they adored him and hung off every word as the relived old battles and fighting techniques they had learned in the time apart. How they reacted to you with each new interaction did shift though. Some welcomed you with open arms, just happy to have their prince back- while others looked upon you with the same disdain one would hold for a criminal. 

"So- when are you going to teach the little thing how to fight?" One gnarly looking fae asked Sidon, giving you side glance. 

"Her training will be starting tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure she was comfortable and settled into her new home before I overload her with a new training regimen." Sidon explained gently as his hand circled around your shoulders and pulled you in closer to him. 

You had never even been told about this? Confusion crossed over your features as you turned your look to Sidon, who smiled back and patted your shoulder. He really didn't seem too concerned with how they looked at you or what they seemed tot think of you. With a possessive hold on you for the better half of the evening, you didn't know when or how a little stray acorn had made it into your pocket. 

During a pause of Sidon being distracted with someone else, you reached into your pocket and pulled out the small seed. Before you could really turn it over to get a better look, the top popped off to reveal a little tiny piece of paper rolled up inside. As you unrolled the little scroll, a strange anxiety pricked over your skin as you read over the words.

> _Want to find the changeling? Meet me where the folk leave their troubles, when the wolves cry for Her._
> 
> _-D_

"What do you have there Love?" Sidon asked sweetly as he pulled your attention to him. 

"Oh uh-" You turned over what would be the best option, "Its nothing- are you almost ready to head back home?" You said, swiftly changing the subject, to which he agreed. 

As the two of you said your goodbyes to everyone around, you couldn't stop thinking about the note in the acorn. Why did you lie to him? You cursed yourself as you rolled around why the first reaction you had was to lie to him? Guilt wrapped around you. Some part of you knew he would have been hesitant about you getting a random note from the fae, if not angry. Though, when you said your last goodbyes for the evening, there was one set of eyes that never took their eyes off you.

_Daruk._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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